The Hunchback of Gravity Falls
by MWolfL
Summary: Dipper, a hunchback, is an outcast in Paris France. Will his new friend Mabel help him gain acceptance, or will evil Judge Gideon have his way? MabelXOC
1. The Bells of Notre Dame

A.N. This fanfic was inspired by the fanart Gideon's Hellfire, done by MossAnimation on deviantART.

GRUNKLE STAN:  
Morning in Paris, the city awakes  
To the bells of Notre Dame  
The fisherman fishes, the baker man bakes  
To the bells of Notre Dame

To the big bells as loud as the thunder  
To the little bells soft as a psalm  
And some say the soul of  
The city's the toll of  
The bells  
The bells of Notre Dame

The one who was singing was Stan Pines, leader of the gypsies. He was known as Grunkle Stan to most though due to his age. Since he was old he hardly performed like he used to in his youth, instead he just introduced the other gypsy performers. Pretty much all he did nowadays was sing and put on puppet shows. At the moment he was putting on one of his shows.

"Listen, they're beautiful, no?" Grunkle Stan said to some kids who were watching. "So many colors of sound, so many changing moods. Because you know they don't ring all by themselves."

"They don't?" He then asked through his puppet self; the kids giggled.

"No, you silly boy." Grunkle Stan frowned. "Up there, high, high in the dark bell tower lives the mysterious bell ringer. Who is this creature?"

"Who?" His puppet self echoed, shrugging.

"What is he?" Grunkle Stan asked.

"What?" His puppet self scratched its head.

"How did he come to be there?" Grunkle Stan asked.

"How?" His puppet self shrugged again.

"Hush!" Grunkle Stan hit his puppet self on the head with a stick.

"Ow." His puppet self rubbed its head.

"Grunkle Stan will tell you." Grunkle Stan said. "It is a tale, a tale of a man and a monster."

The scene switched to the past, many years ago. Over a couple decades ago even.

 _Dark was the night when our tale was begun  
On the docks near Notre Dame_

Three gypsies traveled into Paris through the canals in a canoe that was being pushed with a pole by the canoe's owner. Two of the gypsies were Mr. and Mrs. Pines, Grunkle Stan's nephew and niece-in-law. They had been traveling over France earning money because they were going to have another child. When he was born they sneakily traveled back to Paris to introduce him to their older daughter Mabel as well as Grunkle Stan, who had been taking care of Mabel at the time. The last one was a friend of Mr. Pines who had helped them sneak into Paris. Their newborn son started crying.

"Shut him up, will you!" Mr. Pines whispered fearfully to his wife.

"We'll be spotted!" His friend agreed.

"Hush, little one." Mrs. Pines whispered to her son.

 _Four frightened gypsies slid silently under  
The docks near Notre Dame_

"Four guilders for safe passage into Paris." The canoe's owner asked.

Suddenly, an arrow hit his pole! A bunch of soldiers surrounded the three gypsies - the one who pushed the canoe had just been doing his job and so was ignored - and pointed their spears at them.

 _But a trap had been laid for the gypsies  
And they gazed up in fear and alarm  
At a figure whose clutches  
Were iron as much as the bells_

Mr. Pines saw a dark shadow coming. It was someone wearing a dark-blue robe and hat riding a black horse.

"Judge Gideon Gleeful!" Mr. Pines gasped.

 _The bells of Notre Dame_

Judge Gideon was not only prejudice of anyone who was different, he also was the main enemy of the gypsies. It all started back when Stan Pines first arrived in Paris with his group of gypsies. Instantly he saw how cold and heartless Gideon was, and so settled in Paris to give the people something to be cheerful about. Furious, and thinking that the gypsies were evil witches, Gideon attempted many times to stop Stan Pines's brand of entertainment but Stan and the other gypsies kept evading him. Even more furious, Gideon had declared war against the Pines in general. He would not rest until every single last Pine was dead. And as for the rest of the gypsies...well, he wouldn't mind them all dead.

 _Judge Gideon Gleeful longed  
To purge the world  
Of vice and sin_

 _And he saw corruption  
Everywhere  
Except within_

The soldiers shackled Mr. Pines and his friend.

"Bring these gypsy vermin to the palace of justice." Judge Gideon said coldly.

Mrs. Pines desperately tried to shield her son, knowing Judge Gideon would kill him once he saw him. Unfortunately a soldier noticed.

"You there, what are you hiding?" He demanded.

"Stolen goods, no doubt." Judge Gideon said. "Take them from her."

 _She ran!_

Mrs. Pines dashed through the streets, Gideon in hot pursuit on his horse. Mrs. Pines tried to ditch Gideon by turning a sharp corner but it was no use. He nearly caught up with her, angrily banging signs out of the way as he did so, but she managed to escape him by leaping over a fence that was between two buildings. Fortunately the gap between the buildings was much too narrow for Gideon's horse. She then ran for Notre Dame, where she knew she and her son would be safe.

"Sanctuary, please give us sanctuary!" Mrs. Pines pleaded, banging on the doors.

It was no use, the doors were locked and no one answered. Even worse, Gideon was coming. Afraid, Mrs. Pines tried to run away but Gideon caught up with her and grabbed the blanket that covered her son. She tried to pull her son away but Gideon kicked her free, causing her to hit her head on the steps. The blow instantly killed her, much to Gideon's hidden joy. But then he heard crying...it was coming from the bundle.

"A baby?" Gideon frowned with surprise as he moved part of the blanket out of the way...and then gasped upon seeing the baby's face. "A monster!"

Gideon looked around for a way to get rid of the monster, and then saw a well. He went over to the well and prepared to drop the baby in it, but...

"Stop!" _Cried the Archdeacon._

The Archdeacon was Quentin Trembley III, who was a secret friend of the Pines. He knew Gideon Gleeful's view of the world was wrong, and so was grateful for the Pines's arrival. But now he was just distraught over Mrs. Pines's death and determined to save her son from a similar fate.

"This is an unholy demon." Gideon said. "I'm sending it back to hell, where it belongs."

"See there the innocent blood you have spilt on the steps of Notre Dame." Quentin said as he lifted Mrs. Pines' head gently.

"I am guiltless." Gideon shrugged. "She ran, I pursued."

"Now you would add this child's blood to your guilt on the steps of Notre Dame." Quentin added.

"My conscience is clear!" Gideon frowned.

"You can lie to yourself and your minions," Quentin glared. "You can claim that you haven't a qualm. But you never can run from nor hide what you've done from the eyes, the very eyes of Notre Dame."

Gideon looked at Notre Dame and saw what he thought were statues staring at him coldly for what he had done. Of course it was only his imagination...or was it? Either way, seeing the statue of the virgin mother Mary was what really sealed the deal.

 _And for one time in his life  
Of power and control  
Gideon felt a twinge of fear  
For his immortal soul_

"What must I do?" Gideon asked.

"Care for the child, and raise it as your own." Quentin said as he picked up Mrs. Pines so that he could give her a funeral later.

He hated to put the Pines child in Gideon's care, but he knew that as long as Gideon was forced to raise the child the child would be spared from death.

"What? I'm to be saddled with this misshapen...?" Gideon was about to protest but stopped, looking as if he had realized something. "Very well, but let him live with you, in your church."

"Live here?" Quentin secretly liked the idea but didn't know where the child could live. "Where?"

"Anywhere." Gideon shrugged, looking around Notre Dame. "Just so he's kept locked away where no one else can see... The bell tower perhaps, and who knows, our Lord works in mysterious ways. Even this foul creature may yet prove one day to be of use to me."

 _And Gideon gave the child a name  
A name that was based on the mark on his forehead  
Dipper_

 _Now here is a riddle to guess if you can  
Sing the bells of Notre Dame  
Who is the monster and who is the man?_

 _Sing the bells, bells, bells, bells  
Bells, bells, bells, bells  
Bells of Notre Dame_


	2. Pining for Freedom

A.N. Now unlike the movie there will be four gargoyles instead of three. The fourth one is flowerpower71's Gravity Falls OC Katie, a girl who befriends Dipper and Mabel. She told me about her since we like discussing our story ideas with each other, and I decided to use Katie - with flowerpower's permission of course - for the sarcastic half of Laverne. You'll find out who plays the wise half of Laverne soon.

Time passed until Dipper was a grown adult in his twenties. Along with the birthmark of The Big Dipper on his forehead he also had a hunched-back, a lump over one eye, a squashed nose, and missing teeth. After ringing the morning bells he leapt down from the rafters onto the floor and headed outside. It was time to check on a friend of his: a pigeon fledgling who's nest was in the mouth of a hamster-like gargoyle. On the other side of Dipper was a gargoyle of a long-haired human wearing a shell around his neck.

"Good morning." He smiled to the fledgling.

The fledgling chirped a greeting.

"Will today be the day? Are you ready to fly?" Dipper asked.

The fledgling chirped uncertainly.

"You sure? Good day to try." Dipper gently picked up the bird. "Why, if I picked a day to try, this would be it: The Festival of Fools."

The bird looked down at the great height, gulped, and chirped fearfully.

"It'll be fun, with jugglers and music and dancing." Dipper smiled.

The fledgling, with his eyes closed, flapped. Dipper gently tossed him up and removed his hands. He then chuckled, getting the fledgling's attention. The fledgling was at first surprised then happy that he was flying on his own. A flock of pigeons flew past them and the fledging chirped excitedly.

"Go on, no one wants to be cooped up here forever." Dipper stroked the bird.

The fledgling chirped in agreement and flew away.

Suddenly, the hamster-gargoyle came to life and spat out the nest!

"Oh man!" He said, spitting out a bunch of feathers. "I thought he'd never leave! I'll be spitting feathers for a week!"

"Well Soos, that's what you get for sleeping with your mouth open." The human-gargoyle now came to life.

"Ha-ha go scare a nun," Soos retorted before turning to Dipper. "Hey Dipster, what's going on down there? A fight? A flogging?"

"A festival." The human-gargoyle smiled.

"You mean The Feast of Fools?" Soos smiled.

"Uh-huh." Dipper nodded.

"All right all right!" Soos cheered. "Poor the wine and cut the cheese!"

"It is a treat to watch the colorful pageantry of the simple gente de campesinos." The human-gargoyle said.

"I wish you'd quit with the foreign words Mermando, you know I don't speak Spanish." Soos frowned.

"It is not my fault my carver was from Spain." Mermando retorted.

"Ah..." Soos scoffed, annoyed, before getting back to the topic at hand. "Boy nothing like balcony seats for watching the ol' F.O.F." He nudged Dipper.

"Yeah, watching." Dipper said sadly before leaving.

"Oh look, a mime." Soos smirked, preparing to hock a loogie.

Mermando stopped him though and jabbed his head towards Dipper. Soos finally noticed Dipper leaving.

"Hey hey hey, what gives?" Soos asked.

"Aren't you going to watch the Festival with us?" Mermando asked.

Dipper just headed inside.

"I don't get it." Soos slumped.

"Perhaps he's sick." Mermando said worriedly.

"Impossible." A female voice said.

Soos and Mermando turned and saw a female human gargoyle and a three-headed bear gargoyle coming. The female human gargoyle had her hair in a ponytail and wore a t-shirt, and also had dogtags hanging around her neck.

"If twenty years of listening to you two hasn't made him sick by now nothing will." The female human-gargoyle joked, chuckling.

"Heh, good one Katie." The middle head of the three-headed bear-gargoyle chuckled.

"Thanks Multi-Bear." Katie smiled.

"But watching The Festival of Fools has always been the highlight of the year for Dipper." Mermando pointed out.

"What's the point of watching the party if you never get to go-" Multi-Bear said.

"Get away from me you bunch of buzzards!" Katie snapped, waving her arms at some pigeons that landed on her; the pigeons flew away.

Multi-Bear frowned at her.

"Sorry." Katie said.

Multi-Bear sighed and headed inside.

"He's not made of stone like us." He said to the other gargoyles.

Multi-Bear and Katie then went over to Dipper, who was sitting at a table looking at his wooden carvings sadly. Soos and Mermando stayed a bit behind.

"Dipster what's wrong, you want to tell Multi-Bear all about it?" Multi-Bear patted Dipper's shoulder comfortingly.

"I just don't feel like watching the Festival that's all." Dipper shrugged.

"Well did you ever think of going there instead?" Multi-Bear smiled.

"Sure, but I'd never fit in out there." Dipper rested his head on his arms. "I'm not...normal."

"Oh Dipper Dipper Dipper-" Multi-Bear was about to say.

"Do you mind? WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A MOMENT WITH THE BOY IF IT'S ALL RIGHT WITH YOU!" Katie snapped at some more pigeons that had landed on her; the pigeons scattered.

Multi-Bear gave her one heck of a death glare, his two side heads even growling. Katie cowered a little. Soos decided to prevent a fight or similar by stepping in. Or hopping in rather.

"Hey quit beatin' around the bell tower." Soos said to Dipper as he hopped onto the table, took the wooden carving of Dipper off the carving of Notre Dame, and put it with the other carvings. "What do we got to do? Page you al fresco?"

"As your amigos and guardians we insist you attend the Festival." Mermando added, coming closer.

"Me?" Dipper was surprised.

"No, the pope, of course you!" Soos chuckled as he put a carving of the pope in Dipper's mouth.

"It would be a veritable potpourri of educational experience." Mermando took the pope carving out of Dipper's mouth.

"Wine, women and song!" Soos juggled some of the carvings.

"You could learn to identify various species of fish." Mermando added.

"Bobbing for snails!" Soos held out a bucket of water.

"Studying latin folk music." Mermando pretended to strum a guitar.

"Playing Dunk-the-Monk." Soos dumped the bucket of water over Mermando's head.

"Dipster take it from an old spectator: life's not a spectator sport." Multi-Bear said. "If watching's all you're gonna do, then you're going to watch your life go by without you."

"Yeah, you're human. With the flesh and the hair and the navel lint." Soos agreed. "We're just part of the architecture, right Mermando?"

"Yet if you kick us, will we not flake? If you moisten us, do we not grow moss?" Mermando agreed as he took the bucket off his head and innocently put it over Soos's head with one hand.

"*Woob woob woob!*" Soos waved his arms up and down rapidly, startled.

"Dipster just grab a clean tunic and a fresh pair of hose and-" Katie added.

"Thanks for the encouragement but you're all forgetting one big thing." Dipper interrupted.

"What?" Katie, Mermando, Soos, and Multi-Bear all shrugged.

"My master, Gideon." Dipper brought out a carving of Judge Gideon.

"Oh..." The gargoyle quartet slumped defeatedly.

"Oh dear." Mermando sighed.

"Yeah." Soos agreed.

"Well, when he says you're forbidden from ever leaving the bell tower, does he mean 'ever ever'?" Mermando asked.

"Never ever." Dipper corrected. "And he hates The Feast of Fools. He'd be furious if I asked to go."

"Who says you gotta ask?" Soos smirked mischievously.

"Oh no..."

"Ya sneak out." Soos said.

"It's just for one afternoon." Multi-Bear pointed out.

"I-I couldn't." Dipper protested.

"And ya sneak back in." Soos said.

"He'll never know you were gone." Katie smiled.

"And if I got caught." Dipper pointed out.

"Better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission." Mermando shrugged.

"He might see me!" Dipper said.

"You could wear a disguise," Soos put a small piece of cloth over his head like a cloak. "Just this once. What Gideon doesn't know can't hurt you."

"Ignorance is bliss." Mermando agreed.

"Heh looks who's talking." Soos noogied Mermando.

"Nobody wants to stay cooped up here forever." Multi-Bear smiled.

Dipper beamed.

"You're right!" He said. "I'll go!"

The gargoyle quartet cheered.

"I'll get cleaned up, I'll stroll right down those stairs, I'll march right through the doors and-" Dipper headed for downstairs only to almost run into someone familiar.

"Good morning Dipper." Gideon said.

"Oh, good morning master." Dipper said disappointedly.

"Dear boy, whomever were you talking too?" Gideon asked.

"My..." Dipper turned around and saw the gargoyle quartet stiff and lifeless. "Friends."

"I see. And what are your friends made of Dipper?" Gideon knocked on Mermando's head.

"Stone." Dipper sighed.

"Can stone talk?" Gideon asked.

"No it can't."

"That's right, you're a smart lad." Gideon sat down by a smaller table, setting down the basket he brought onto the floor. "Now, lunch."

Dipper hurried to get the goblets and plates. He had wooden ones and Gideon had fancier metal ones.

"Shall we review your alphabet today?" Gideon took out a book.

"Oh yes master, I would like that very much." Dipper said.

"Very well." Gideon poured Dipper and himself some wine. "A."

"Abomination."

"B."

"Blasphemy."

"C."

"Contrition."

"D."

"Damnation."

"E."

"Eternal-Damnation."

"Good. F." Gideon took a sip of wine.

"Festival."

Gideon did a spit-take.

"Excuse me?" He said.

"F-f-forgiveness!" Dipper quickly corrected himself.

"You said festival." Gideon shut the book angrily.

"No!"

"You 'are thinking about going to the Festival."

"I-it's just, you go every year-"

" **I'm** a public official I **must** go!" Gideon headed for downstairs with Dipper following. "But I don't enjoy a moment of it! Thieves and cutpurses, the dregs of human kind all mixed together in a shallow drunken stupor."

They now were outside on one of the long balconies.

"I didn't mean to upset you master." Dipper said apologetically.

"Dipper can't you understand? When your heartless mother abandoned you as a child anyone else would have drowned you." Gideon said. "And this is my thanks for taking you in and raising you as my son?"

"I'm sorry sir." Dipper bent down in a praying position.

"Oh my dear Dipper, you don't know what it's like out there. I do, I do."

The world is cruel  
The world is wicked  
It's I alone whom you can trust in this whole city  
I am your only friend  
I who keep you, teach you, feed you, dress you  
I who look upon you without fear  
How can I protect you boy, unless you  
Always stay in here  
Away in here

"Remember what I taught you, Dipper." Gideon said as he lead Dipper back inside before going back to singing:

You are deformed

DIPPER:  
I am deformed

GIDEON:  
And you are ugly

DIPPER:  
And I am ugly

GIDEON:  
And these are crimes  
For which the world shows little pity  
You do not comprehend

DIPPER:  
You are my one defender

GIDEON:  
Out there they'll revile you as a monster

Dipper sadly looked at the carving of himself and then at the carving of a random citizen.

DIPPER:  
I am a monster

GIDEON:  
Out there they will hate  
And scorn and jeer

DIPPER:  
Only a monster

GIDEON:  
Why invite their calumny and consternation?  
Stay in here  
Be faithful to me

Gideon took the carving of Dipper out of Dipper's hand and put it back on the carving of Notre Dame.

DIPPER:  
I'm faithful

GIDEON:  
Grateful to me

DIPPER:  
I'm grateful

GIDEON:  
Do as I say  
Obey and stay

DIPPER:  
I'll stay

GIDEON AND DIPPER:  
In here

"You are good to me master." Dipper said. "I'm sorry."

"You are forgiven." Gideon said as he started to leave. "But remember Dipper, this is your sanctuary."

"My sanctuary..." Dipper sighed sadly before singing:

Safe behind these windows and these parapets of stone  
Gazing at the people down below me  
All my life I watch them as I hide up here alone  
Hungry for the histories they show me

All my life I memorize their faces  
Knowing them as they will never know me  
All my life I wonder how it feels to pass a day  
Not above them  
But part of them

Dipper looked outside for a moment before going back to his carvings. He took the carving of himself and put it back with the carvings of the citizens. He then looked outside again.

And out there  
Living in the sun  
Give me one day out there  
All I ask is one  
To hold forever

Dipper slid down a column and joined the gargoyle quartet, hugging Multi-Bear and Soos for a moment before climbing the other columns.

Out there  
Where they all live unaware  
What I'd give  
What I'd dare  
Just to live one day out there!

Out there among the millers and the weavers and their wives  
Through the roofs and gables I can see them  
Every day they shout and scold and go about their lives  
Heedless of the gift it is to be them

If I was in their skin  
I'd treasure every instant

He was now above a part of Notre Dame that diverted water from the outside of the buildings. He leapt down and slid along the diverter, grabbing a covering to keep himself from falling off. He then rested on the gargoyle spout that poured the water away.

Out there  
Strolling by the Seine  
Taste a morning

Out there  
Like ordinary men  
Who freely walk about there  
Just one day and then  
I swear I'll be content  
With my share

He then climbed up one of the towers and hung from a pole before going back down.

Won't resent  
Won't despair  
Old and bent  
I won't care  
I'll have spent  
One day  
Out there


	3. The Festival

A.N. Now I'm actually a MermandoXMabel shipper, but liked the idea of Mermando as Victor too much to not use him. So for the role of Phoebus I decided to use my OC love interest for Mabel: Barnaby Gobblewonker. If you want to learn more about him then feel free to look up my 'Gravity Falls Finale Fics' on deviantART. My username on the site is the same as here: MWolfL.

Meanwhile, down below, a soldier named Barnaby was walking through the streets with his white horse Achilles. He looked at the map in his hands, looked around, and then shook his head and crumpled the map before tossing it over his shoulder.

"You leave town for a couple of decades and they change everything." He muttered; he then turned to a couple of soldiers. "Excuse me gentlemen I'm looking for the Palace of Justice would you...I guess not." He muttered as the two soldiers passed him without even acknowledging his presence.

He continued walking and heard music. He saw a little girl laughing and heading for the source of the music but her mom stopped her.

"Stay away child, those are gypsies they'll steal us blind." The mom pulled her daughter away.

Barnaby came closer and saw a female gypsy named Mabel dancing and banging a tambourine. A pig was dancing around a hat and one other gypsy was performing the music. Barnaby came closer and tossed a few coins into the hat...and then saw Mabel. She was a beautiful brunette wearing very colorful clothing, including a blue blouse that had a musical note and a rainbow stitched onto it. Her skirt was light-purple and had a darker-purple shawl around it. She didn't have shoes, but she did wear bangles on her wrists and ankle and an earring. The other earring was on the pig's ear. Mabel also was wearing a pink-purple headband.

Suddenly, a gypsy boy whistled from the rooftops. The music stopped.

Mabel and the other gypsy started to run, with the pig following them with the hat, but some coins fell out of the hat. The pig squealed and Mabel went back to gather the fallen coins.

"I've really got to teach you how to carry the hat properly Waddles." She shook her head.

It was too late, the two soldiers Barnaby saw earlier showed up. One was a shortish and fat African-American with a mustache and the other was a tall and skinny Caucasian. The African-American soldier was Blubs and the Caucasian soldier was Durland.

"All right gypsy where'd you get the money?" Blubs demanded.

"For your information I earned it." Mabel frowned.

"Gypsies don't earn money." Blubs scoffed.

"But they do steal it." Durland added.

"You'd know a lot about stealing." Mabel retorted.

"Troublemaker huh?" Blubs tried to take the hat away.

Mabel however took the hat and kicked Blubs in the chin.

"Maybe a day in the stocks will cool you down." Durland grabbed Mabel.

Waddles glared at them and butted Durland before kicking Blubs down. Mabel and Waddles ran off. Blubs and Durland got up.

"Come back here gypsy!" Blubs called as he and Durland tried to follow them.

However Barnaby had quickly pulled Achilles in the way so that Blubs and Durland bumped into him and fell down.

"Achilles, sit." Barnaby did.

Achilles did...right on Blubs. Everyone else who was there laughed, except for Durland and Barnaby (who was hiding his amusement).

"Oh dear, I am sorry." Barnaby fake-apologized. "Naughty horse, naughty. He's just impossible really, I can't take him anywhere."

Mabel, who had seen the scene, smiled with amusement and left with Waddles.

"Get this thing off me!" Blubs demanded.

"I'll teach you a lesson peasant!" Durland pulled out his dagger.

Barnaby however pulled out a sword.

"You were saying, lieutenant?" He smirked.

"Oh ca-ca-ca-captain!" Durland quickly saluted...hitting his helmet with his dagger. "*Ow!* At your service sir!"

Barnaby then leaned on his sword so that it cut through part of Blubs' mustache.

"I know you have a lot on your mind right now but, the Palace of Justice?" He smiled.

Barnaby let Blubs up and Blubs and Durland led him towards the Palace of Justice.

"Make way for the captain!" Blubs ordered.

"Go on, make way!" Durland agreed.

Barnaby followed them until he saw some coins on the ground. He then saw what appeared to be an old man smoking a pipe with a familiar hat in front of him. Barnaby walked past the old man and dropped the coins into the hat. However, the 'old man' was really Mabel and Waddles in disguise. They peered out from under the blanket they were using and stared after Barnaby, surprised.

"Come on boy." Barnaby said to his horse. "Achilles, heel."

As Barnaby was led inside the Palace of Justice, he started to hear whipping.

"Stop." Gideon said.

"Sir?" The guy with the whip showed up.

"Ease up. Wait between lashes, otherwise the old sting will dull him to the new."

"Yes sir." The guy with the whip left.

"Ah so this is the gallant Captain Barnaby home from the wars." Gideon then saw Barnaby.

"Reporting for duty as ordered sir." Barnaby said.

"Your service record precedes you Barnaby." Gideon went to Barnaby. "I expect nothing less than the best from a war hero of your caliber."

"And you shall have it sir." Barnaby said. "I guarantee it."

"Yes. You know my last captain of the guard was um, a bit of a disappointment to me."

There was another whipping sound and a cry of pain. Barnaby winced.

"Well no matter, I'm sure you'll...whip my men into shape." Gideon smiled.

"Uh, thank you, it's a...tremendous honor sir." Barnaby said awkwardly, not liking the pun.

"You have come to Paris in her darkest hour captain." Gideon led Phoebus to an archway so that they could look outside. "It will take a firm hand to save the weak minded from being so easily misled."

"Misled sir?" Barnaby asked.

"Look captain." Gideon gestured to Mabel and Waddles dancing for the public. "Gypsies. The gypsies live outside of the normal order, their heathen ways inflame the people's lowest instincts. And they must be stopped."

"I was summoned from the wars to capture fortune tellers and palm readers?" Barnaby frowned.

"The real war captain is what you see before you. For twenty years I have been taking care of the gypsies, one by one." Gideon squashed some ants to emphasize his point. "And yet, for all my success, they've thrived."

He then lifted a stone slab, revealing thousands of ants.

"I believe they have a safe haven within the walls of this very city. A nest if you will. They call it the Court of Miracles."

"What are we going to do about it sir?" Barnaby asked.

Gideon just slammed the slab upside down, squishing all of the ants.

"You make your point quite vividly sir."

"You know I like you captain. Shall we?" Gideon smiled.

He then heard music and cheering. He groaned.

"Oh duty calls." He sighed. "Have you ever attended a peasant festival?"

"Not recently sir." Barnaby admitted.

"Then this should be quite an education for you." Gideon started to leave. "Come along."

Barnaby followed Gideon outside.

CROWD:  
Come one, come all!  
Leave your loops and milking stools  
Coop the hens and pen the mules

Come one, come all!  
Close the churches and the schools  
It's the day for breaking rules  
Come and join the feast of ...

Meanwhile, Dipper wanted so much to spend a day outside Notre Dame that he put a cloak over himself and climbed down. He hesitated at one point when he stopped to rest on one of the balconies, but then he looked up and saw his gargoyle friends waving him on. Smiling, he climbed down a rope of pennants to a pole and watched for a moment. But then the rope came undone and he ended up swinging down to the ground in between the crowd and the first group of gypsy performers. Grunkle Stan then slid out from under the performers. He was wearing a deep orange jester outfit and hat with a red bow-tie and a red mask under his glasses. In one hand was a cane with an eight-ball on top.

GRUNKLE STAN:  
Fools!

Once a year we throw a party here in town  
Once a year we turn all Paris upside down  
Every man's a king and every king's a clown  
Once again it's Topsy Turvy Day

Grunkle Stan leapt forward and spun Dipper around. Dipper, overcome by the crowd and excitement, quickly ran to find a calmer spot. As he ran Grunkle Stan caught a glimpse of his face and did a double-take: the cloaked lad looked like a deformed version of his late nephew! But it couldn't be, his nephew was dead...wasn't he? Or...or could his nephew have escaped but became deformed somehow and so went into hiding?

Either way Grunkle Stan just continued on with the festivities, though he couldn't keep from teasing Dipper a little. After all if the cloaked lad really was his nephew then he might as well 'punish' him for having made him and Mabel think that he was dead rather than coming home earlier. But if the lad wasn't his nephew then his teasing could just be brushed off as typical Topsy Turvy Day silliness. You see Grunkle Stan didn't want to find out for sure who the cloaked lad was in case he wasn't his nephew after all. He didn't want to get hurt again.

It's the day the devil in us gets released  
It's the day we mock the prig and shock the priest  
Ev'rything is topsy turvy at the Feast of Fools!

Dipper had tried to hide behind some balloons, but Grunkle Stan snipped the strings away. Dipper ran and ducked behind a curtain, but it turned out that the curtain led to Grunkle Stan's puppet show theater. Grunkle Stan was suddenly there and used a puppet version of Gideon to lightly hit Dipper on the head a few times. Dipper rushed out of the wagon.

CROWD:  
Topsy Turvy!

GRUNKLE STAN:  
Everything is upsy-daisy!

CROWD:  
Topsy Turvy!

Dipper couldn't believe his eyes. There were dogs walking people and a guy sitting on what looked like to be a horse with two-rear ends and no heads. There were also people wearing giant heads of strange shapes. Of course most of these were costumes and such, but Dipper didn't know that at first.

GRUNKLE STAN:  
Everyone is acting crazy  
Dross is gold and weeds are a bouquet  
That's the way on Topsy Turvy Day

Dipper then ducked into a tent, but it turned out to belong to can-can dancers. The dancers danced with Dipper unwillingly in the middle and Grunkle Stan willingly on the other end. They danced into a tent, and as Dipper stumbled out of the back of the tent he fell into another one. He quickly grabbed a curtain to try to steady himself but it didn't work, both he and the curtain fell...revealing a familiar woman.

"Hey!" Mabel protested, pulling a colorful robe over herself; she then calm down. "Are you all right?"

"I-I didn't mean too." Dipper tried to cover his face. "I'm sorry."

"Well you're not hurt are you? Here, let's see." Mabel went over and lifted his head.

"No no no!" Dipper panicked.

"There." Mabel smiled. "See, no harm done."

Dipper smiled with surprise. Waddles however squealed with fright.

"Just try to be a little more careful." Mabel chuckled.

"I-I will." Dipper still couldn't believe that this woman didn't find him ugly.

"By the way, great mask." Mabel smiled.

Dipper just smiled back, relieved that his face would apparently be considered a mask to everyone else as well. Now he could just relax and enjoy the festivities.

CROWD:  
Topsy Turvy!

GRUNKLE STAN AND CROWD:  
Beat the drums and blow the trumpets

Dipper looked and saw what appeared to be a giant lobster pushing a chef in a pot of water on a wheelbarrow, though it was easy to see that the lobster was really a person in a costume. He now got that most of the strange appearances out there were costumes.

CROWD:  
Topsy Turvy!

GRUNKLE STAN AND CROWD:  
Join the bums and thieves and strumpets  
Streaming in from Chartres to Calais

One overweight woman dragged Dipper to the dance floor by his elbow, but he was able to break away. Then Gideon's metal carriage and team of soldiers - led by Barnaby of course - arrived.

GRUNKLE STAN:  
Scurvy knaves are extra scurvy  
On the sixth of 'Januervy'

GRUNKLE STAN AND CROWD:  
All because it's Topy Turvy Day!

Gideon soon left his carriage and sat down on a chair in his personal tent.

GRUNKLE STAN:  
Come one, come all!  
Hurry, hurry, here's your chance  
See the mystery and romance

Grunkle Stan suddenly appeared in Gideon's tent and jabbed him a few times with his elbow. Grunkle Stan knew that Gideon could never do anything to him when there was a crowd around, and he always liked to take advantage of that fact. Sure enough Gideon only glared at him before brushing some confetti off his robe.

Come one, come all  
See the finest girl in France  
Make an entrance to entrance  
Dance la Mabel  
Dance!

Grunkle Stan then pushed Dipper to a stage and leapt off him onto the stage. He raised a fist, the one that wasn't holding his cane, and let it down to unleash an explosion of colorful smoke. Instantly he was gone and Mabel appeared in his place wearing a bright pink dress with no sleeves. On the dress was an image of a rainbow-colored heart. She also had a tambourine in one hand, and as she started dancing in a sultry way she took out a rainbow colored scarf from inside her dress. Instead of a headband she wore a tiara with a pink heart-shaped gemstone in the middle of it.

Actually she really didn't like dancing this way, but she knew the guys went for it and she did have to earn money for Grunkle Stan and the other gypsies. She just only wished that money could bring back her parents and her baby brother. Gideon had killed them a long time ago, not long after her baby brother was born. She never even got to see him.

"Look at that disgusting display." Gideon scowled.

"Yes sir!" Barnaby lifted his helmet up slightly.

Mabel, seeing Gideon, decided to tease him by skipping over to him, wrapping her scarf around him (she had dozens like it anyway) and pretending to almost kiss him on the nose before pushing his hat over his face. She knew it would annoy him and she never missed an opportunity to annoy him. It was her way of getting revenge for the death of her parents and brother. Sure enough Gideon took his hat off and glared at Mabel, much to her delight.

She then went back onto the stage and continued dancing until she did a split. She then grabbed a spear from a soldier, stuck it onto the stage, and spun around it until she was at the bottom. She then smiled and gave a nod. Almost everyone tossed coins onto the stage, even Barnaby. Dipper, not having any money at all, just clapped.


	4. The Real King of Fools

Grunkle Stan then appeared back on stage from out of nowhere.

"And now, here it is ladies and gentlemen, the pièce de resistance!" He said before singing again:

Here it is, the moment you've been waiting for  
Here it is, you know exactly what's in store  
Now's the time we laugh until our sides get sore  
Now's the time we crown the King of Fools!

"You all remember last year's king?" Grunkle Stan gestured to said 'king', who burped.

So make a face that's horrible and frightening  
Make a face as gruesome as a gargoyle's wing

Soos, who had been watching the whole time, overheard.

"Hey!" Soos protested, insulted.

Grunkle Stan started pulling masked people onto the stage. Namely people who had approached the stage wanting to compete.

GRUNKLE STAN:  
For the face that's ugliest will be the King of Fools!  
Why?

CROWD:  
Topsy turvy!

GRUNKLE STAN:  
Ugly folk, forget your shyness

CROWD:  
Topsy turvy!

People traded masks, Mabel helped Dipper onto the stage, and a guy in a giant fish costume chased someone dressed as a fisherman... Mabel helped Dipper onto the stage? Uh-oh!

GRUNKLE STAN:  
You could soon be called Your Highness!

CROWD:  
Put your foulest features on display

GRUNKLE STAN AND CROWD:  
Be the king of Topsy Turvy Day!

One-by-one, people had their masks taken off and made the ugliest faces they could. The crowd just booed them, so Waddles butted them off stage one-by-one. Finally it was Dipper's turn, but Waddles just squealed and ran away. Mabel went to take off his mask...only there was no mask. She gasped and so did the crowd.

"That's not mask!" A man pointed.

"It's his face!" A woman said with horror.

"He's hideous!" Another woman said.

"It's the bell ringer from Notre Dame!" Another man realized.

Gideon looked really shocked.

Dipper, hurt and upset, covered his face with his arms.

Grunkle Stan however quickly stepped in to rescue Dipper from further insult. Even though the lad might not be related he still looked like his late nephew and Grunkle Stan felt an obligation to honor that. And on Topsy Turvy Day there was no greater honor than becoming the King of Fools, even if it didn't sound like an honor.

"Ladies and gentlemen don't panic," He waved his cane. "We asked for the ugliest face in all of Paris and here he is: Dipper, the hunchback of Notre Dame!" He put a jester cap on Dipper's head, which was the King of Fools' crown.

GRUNKLE STAN:  
Everybody!

The crowd thankfully went along with it and moved forward to create a moving seat for Dipper out of themselves.

CROWD:  
Once a year we throw a party here in town

GRUNKLE STAN:  
Hail to the king!

CROWD:  
Once a year we turn all Paris upside down

GRUNKLE STAN:  
Oh, what a king!

Grunkle Stan led the people-seat to the seat that was solely for the King of Fools while spinning his cane like a baton. Last year's king was tossed out and Dipper was tossed in.

CROWD:  
Once a year, the ugliest will wear a crown

GRUNKLE STAN:  
Girls, give a kiss

To Dipper's surprise, some girls did kiss him on the cheek.

The people who were carrying the seat then carried it to this platform that was somewhat in the middle of the area. Normally that platform was used to humiliate the sinners but this time it was used to honor Dipper, the King of Fools. As he was on his way there he caught a glimpse of Gideon and waved sheepishly to him, who looked at him very crossly.

CROWD:  
Once a year on Topsy Turvy Day

GRUNKLE STAN:  
We've never had a king like this

Now on the platform, Grunkle Stan put a cape over Dipper's shoulders and put the King of Fools' scepter in his hand. Dipper shed some tears, not believing that he had received such a high honor (holiday wise).

GRUNKLE STAN AND CROWD:  
And it's the day we do the things that we deplore  
On the other three hundred and sixty-four  
Once a year we love to drop in  
Where the beer is never stoppin  
For the chance to pop some popinjay  
And pick a king who'll put the 'top' in  
Topsy Turvy Day!  
Mad and crazy, upsy-daisy, Topsy Turvy Day!

A whole bunch of other Topsy Turvy things happened as the crowd cheered for Dipper, who raised his arms with joy.

"Dipper! Dipper!" The crowd chanted, a few throwing flowers at him. "Dipper!"

Back at Notre Dame, Multi-Bear, Soos, Mermando, and Katie cheered for Dipper too.

Unfortunately...

"You think he's ugly now?" Durland smirked to Blubs. "Watch this."

He suddenly tossed a tomato at Dipper! Dipper dropped his mouth open, emotionally hurt, and removed the tomato from his face with shock. The crowd gasped as well.

"Now that's ugly!" Durland laughed.

"Hail to the king!" Another soldier said mockingly as he hit Dipper with a tomato.

"Long live the king!" Another soldier hit Dipper with another tomato.

"Bon appétit!" Another soldier mocked as more vegetables were tossed at Dipper.

Sensing trouble, Dipper tried to escape but slipped on a tomato and fell down. The crowd laughed at him. Dipper still tried to escape.

"We're you going hunchback?" A peasant jeered. "The fun's just beginning!"

He lassoed Dipper with a rope! Dipper grabbed the rope as he found himself being pulled down onto the spinning part of the platform. Someone else lassoed an arm, making him drop his scepter. Everyone continued laughing as the two people with the ropes slowly backed away.

Suddenly, Dipper forcefully got up, ripping his shirt, and pulled on the ropes in a desperate attempt to free himself. No longer laughing, the crowd started lassoing him with more ropes and hitting him with more vegetables and even eggs until finally they tied him to the spinning part. Grunkle Stan wished he could stop this, but he knew whoever attempted to would have to deal with Gideon's wrath. Better someone younger who could more easily escape Gideon than an old man like himself.

Dipper was then spun around and pelted repeatedly with vegetables and eggs.

"Master!" He pleaded.

Gideon just frowned.

"Master please help me!" Dipper pleaded.

Gideon looked away.

"Sir," Barnaby frowned. "Request permission to stop this cruelty."

"In a moment captain." Gideon smirked. "A lesson needs to be learned here."

Suddenly, everything went silent. Gideon and Barnaby turned to find Mabel, back in her usual outfit, slowly walking onto the platform. Everyone else watched too, as if they were hypnotized. Actually they were just surprised and didn't know how to react. Dipper too saw Mabel coming and cringed.

"Don't be afraid." Mabel knelt down and took off her shawl. "I'm sorry, this wasn't supposed to happen." She wiped the tomato juice off Dipper's face.

"You, gypsy girl!" Gideon said sternly. "Get down at once!"

"Yes your honor, just as soon as I free this poor creature." Mabel said.

"I forbid it!"

Mabel suddenly took a dagger from underneath her skirt and freed Dipper! The crowd gasped at her boldness.

"How dare you defy me!" Gideon said angrily.

"You mistreat this poor boy the same way you mistreat my people!" Mabel retorted, angry as well. "You speak of justice but are cruel to those most in need of your help!"

"Silence!"

"Justice!"

The crowd gasped again.

Mabel then helped Dipper up.

"Mark my words gypsy, you will pay for this insolence." Gideon glared.

"Then it appears we have crowned the wrong fool." Mabel retorted, taking off Dipper's jester hat. "The only fool I see, is you!"

She tossed the hat towards Gideon, and Waddles gave Gideon a raspberry for emphasis. The crowd laughed.

"Captain Barnaby, arrest her." Gideon ordered.

Barnaby snapped his fingers and moved his arm forward. Soldiers on horseback started to surround Mabel.

"Well let's see...one two three four five six seven eight nine so there are ten of you and one of me." Mabel said before fake-sobbing: "What's a poor girl to do?"

She continued fake-sobbing, taking out a handkerchief, until she 'sneezed' into the handkerchief, causing her to disappear in a puff of familiar smoke.

"Witchcraft!" Gideon gasped.

"Oh boys, over here."

Everyone looked and saw Mabel and Waddles posing amongst some pumpkins wearing masks.

"There she is!" Durland climbed onto the platform she was on.

"Get her!" Blubs ordered as he followed Durland.

Mabel and Waddles ran off and leapt into the crowd, allowing them to crowd-surf. Blubs and Durland tried the same thing, but the crowd parted, causing them to fall onto the ground.

Mabel and Waddles then flipped onto the ground only to meet with more soldiers. She quickly used the cage of a heretical old man named McGucket to knock the soldiers down, soon using the cage - which had broken free of it's supports - to roll to a gypsy using a board-on-wheels as a wheelbarrow. The gypsy rolled his board away, until finally Mabel leapt onto the board with the cage still following them. The soldiers tried to follow as well but a stilt-walker stopped them and kicked all of them...you-know-where. The soldiers rose into the air squealing with pain.

Mabel, Waddles (who had been on the board previously), and the gypsy smiled at this scene until they flew off a wheelbarrow and landed on the ground. The cage with McGucket ended up landing on more soldiers, causing the door to break open.

"I'm free I'm free!" McGucket cackled before tripping and ending up in the stocks. "Danggit."

Mabel and Waddles ran from another soldier, this one on horseback, until Mabel leapt off Waddles's back and pulled down the pants of another stilt-walker. The soldier ended up hitting the pants as his horse kept going, resulting in a makeshift slingshot. The soldier screamed as he soared through the air. Mabel watched until the soldier's helmet landed on her head in a neat spin. She then took off the helmet and bowed.

But more soldiers were coming, three to be exact. Not worried one bit, Mabel tossed the helmet like a frisbee. The helmet hit the middle soldier, which caused his helmet to hit another soldier, which caused his helmet to hit the third soldier.

Barnaby, who was watching all this very impressed, had to duck before one of the helmets hit his head.

"What a woman!" He smiled after lifting his head back up.

Two more soldiers came, so Mabel and Waddles had to run. Fortunately they were on horseback too, which a tightrope walker used to his advantage. He tossed his pole down, which the soldiers caught automatically. Too late, they saw that they were heading for the tent that belonged to Gideon, who had a horrified look on his face. You guessed it, the pole knocked down the top of the tent and caused it to fall on Gideon. Gideon burst out from the top of the tent very furious.

Mabel, holding onto Waddles, then used her grappling hook - which she had been keeping in the belt of her skirt the whole time, it had just been hidden by her shawl - to end up on the roof of one of the stages. She wrapped herself in a huge piece of cloth that was on the roof and ducked down. A stilt-walker removed the cloth to reveal that she had disappeared.

Gideon just put his hat back on and glared at Dipper, who had been enjoying the performance but now was looking very embarrassed. He tried to pull his ruined shirt over his hunch, but it was futile.

Gideon left his ruined tent and got onto his horse.

"Find her captain, I want her alive." Gideon said to Barnaby sternly.

"Yes sir." Barnaby said before ordering the other soldiers: "Seal off the area men, find the gypsy girl and do not harm her."

Gideon trotted over to Dipper and glared at him again. By this point it was raining, though Dipper was grateful for this because the rain washed the remains of the food off him. Even so he felt horrible.

"I'm sorry master." He whispered. "I will never disobey you again."

He leapt off the platform and the crowd parted with fright. Dipper wobbly made his way back to Notre Dame while hiding his face in shame. The gargoyle quartet watched all this with sadness. Dipper then went inside Notre Dame and shut the door.


	5. Confrontation in the Church

All the soldiers kept searching for Mabel, but only Barnaby found an old man heading for Notre Dame suspicious. He had every right to be: the 'old man' was just Mabel and Waddles in disguise.

Mabel and Waddles shed their disguise once inside, and walked around. This was the first time they had been in Notre Dame since they and Grunkle Stan, plus Mabel's parents in the past, couldn't risk revealing their friendship with Quentin Trembley III. Doing so might put him in danger. Instead Quentin would sneak out now and then at night to visit the Pines, though had stopped doing so after he saved Dipper's life. Gideon had become suspicious of him since then so Quentin was waiting for his suspicions to die down first.

They continued walking around until Mabel sensed someone behind her. She quickly turned around, grabbed the sword of the someone, and knocked him down in front of her. It was Barnaby.

"You." She glared, pointing his sword at his chin.

"Easy, easy, I just shaved this morning." Barnaby stammered.

"Oh really? You missed a spot." Mabel replied dryly.

"All right all right!" Barnaby raised a hand. "Calm down, just give me a chance to apologize."

"For what?"

Barnaby grabbed his sword and knocked her down.

"That, for example." He smiled.

"You sneaky son of a-" Mabel glared.

"Ah-ah, watch it." Barnaby got up and looked around warily. "You're in a church."

"Are you always this charming or am I just lucky?" Mabel retorted coldly as she got up.

She grabbed a floor candelabra and swung it at him. Barnaby blocked it with his sword and they sword fought, so to speak.

"Ah-ha-ha, candlelight, privacy, music." Barnaby smiled. "Can't think of a better place for hand-to-hand combat."

He continued blocking her.

"You fight almost as well as a man." He smirked.

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you." Mabel retorted.

"That's hitting a little below the belt don't you think?" Barnaby wasn't really insulted, but he was no longer cheerful either.

"No, this is." Mabel lunged the candelabra towards his...you know.

Barnaby however blocked her, but she just hit him in the face with the other end.

"Touché." He smiled.

Waddles then butted him.

"Didn't know you had a little piggy." Barnaby remarked.

"Well he doesn't take kindly to soldiers." Mabel retorted.

"Eh, I noticed." Barnaby winced pointedly. "Uh, permit me: my name's Barnaby. It means...'son of comfort'."

Mabel and Waddles looked at each other skeptically.

"And you are?" Barnaby asked.

"Is this an interrogation?" Mabel asked.

"I believe it's called an introduction." Barnaby corrected, sheathing his sword.

"You're not arresting me?" Mabel was surprised.

"Not as long as you're in here, I can't." Barnaby smiled.

"Huh." Mabel studied him and then put the candelabra down. "You're not at all like the other soldiers."

"Thank you."

"So, if you're not going to arrest me, what do you want?"

"I'd settle for your name."

"Mabel." Mabel actually smiled.

"Beautiful." Barnaby smiled back.

Waddles however frowned.

"And much better than Barnaby anyway." Barnaby shrugged.

They continued smiling at each other...

"Good work captain, now arrest her!" Gideon ordered as he suddenly entered Notre Dame.

Mabel glared at Barnaby.

"Claim sanctuary." Barnaby whispered; Mabel just continued glaring. "Say it!"

"You tricked me." Mabel said angrily.

"I'm waiting captain." Gideon said impatiently.

"I'm sorry sir, she claims sanctuary." Barnaby lied. "There's nothing I can do."

Mabel was surprised.

"Then drag her outside and-" Gideon neared them.

"Gideon, you will not touch her!" Quentin suddenly appeared and put his arm around Mabel. "Don't worry, Minister Gideon learned years ago to respect the sanctity of the church." Quentin said to Mabel before giving Gideon a warning glare.

Gideon gave Quentin a death glare back. He then started to leave...but as soon as Quentin, Mabel, and Barnaby stopped watching him he ducked behind a pillar. Quentin then led Barnaby outside...helped by Waddles, who kept butting him.

"All right all right I'm going!" Barnaby protested.

Gideon snuck around until he could grab Mabel. He pinned an arm behind her back to prevent her from fighting back.

"You think you've outwitted me, but I am a patient man and gypsies don't do well inside stone walls." Gideon whispered before sniffing her hair.

"What are you doing?" Mabel frowned.

"I was just imagining a rope around that beautiful neck." Gideon lied.

"I know what you were imagining." Mabel broke free, glaring at him.

"Such a clever witch." Gideon smirked. "So typical of your kind to twist the truth, to cloud the mind with unholy thoughts."

Mabel gave him a disturbed look.

"Well no matter." Gideon started to leave. "You have chosen a magnificent prison, but it is a prison nonetheless. Step one foot outside and you're mine."

And where was Quentin this whole time? He was talking to Barnaby and so hadn't noticed that Gideon was still inside. Quentin learned that Barnaby was different from the other soldiers, and ended up liking him. He promised to let Barnaby in later when Gideon and the other soldiers were gone. He then came back in after Gideon had left.

As soon as Quentin returned Mabel ran for the doors and opened one.

"Gideon's orders, post a guard around every door." One soldier said.

Mabel slammed the door and slumped onto the ground.

"Don't worry Waddles, if Gideon thinks he can keep us here he's wrong." She said.

"Don't act rashly Mabel." Quentin smiled as he lit some candles. "You created...quite a stir at the Festival. Which I'm actually proud of you for, but it would be unwise to arouse Gideon's anger even further."

"Hey Quentin." Mabel chuckled as she got up. "It's been so long."

"I know, sorry for not visiting you or Stan in years but Gideon started becoming suspicious of me." Quentin said as he and Mabel hugged.

"It's okay, I understand." Mabel smiled. "But what I don't understand is how he and many others could have anything against people who are different."

"You can't right all the wrongs of this world by yourself." Quentin pointed out.

"Well no one out there is going to help that's for sure." Mabel jabbed a thumb toward the door.

"Actually one might, and there might be someone in here who can help as well." Quentin winked. "I must go, it's nearly time to start the services."

"Okay, see you tomorrow...if I don't find a way to escape tonight." Mabel said.

"You might be able to...just make sure you aren't noticed if and when you do." Quentin left.

"Don't worry about that." Mabel chuckled.

She then looked around and saw people praying. She then saw a statue of Mary and decided to sing a prayer:

I don't know if you can hear me  
Or if you're even there  
I don't know if you would listen  
To a gypsy's prayer

Yes, I know I'm just an outcast  
I shouldn't speak to you  
Still I see your face and wonder...  
Were you once an outcast too?

Unknown to Mabel, Dipper heard her singing. He was now dry and wearing a new tunic, and was sitting sadly in the rafters. However hearing Mabel singing made him come downstairs to watch her.

God help the outcasts  
Hungry from birth  
Show them the mercy  
They don't find on earth

God help my people  
We look to you still  
God help the outcasts  
Or nobody will

PARISHIONERS:  
I ask for wealth  
I ask for fame  
I ask for glory to shine on my name  
I ask for love I can possess  
I ask for God and His angels to bless me

MABEL:  
I ask for nothing  
I can get by  
But I know so many  
Less lucky than I

Please help my people  
The poor and downtrod  
I thought we all were  
The children of God  
God help the outcasts  
Children of God


	6. A New Friend

Dipper was now on the same floor as Mabel. He was stunned by her selflessness and beautiful singing voice. But...

"You! Bell ringer!" Someone said angrily. "What are you doing down here?"

This directed Mabel's attention to Dipper. Dipper backed away nervously and knocked over a candelabra.

"Haven't you caused enough trouble already?" The same person said.

Dipper ran for the bell tower.

"Wait!" Mabel called, running after him with Waddles not far behind. "I-I'd like to talk to you!"

They now were in view of the gargoyle quartet.

"Look, he's got a friend with him!" Multi-Bear smiled.

"Yeah, maybe today wasn't a total loss after all." Katie smiled.

"A vision of loveliness." Mermando smiled.

"She seems familiar though." Soos remarked.

They hopped down and met Dipper.

"Way to go Dipster!" Soos said.

"Felicidades!" Mermando shook Dipper's hand.

"We knew you had it in ya!" Katie smiled.

"The girl's chasing ya already." Soos smiled.

"A-actually I-" Dipper said.

"You mustn't run too fast, or she'll get away." Multi-Bear said,

"Yes I-I know, that's what I-" Dipper tried to explain.

"Just give her some slack, then real her in." Soos pretended to fish. "Then give her some slack, then real her in, then give her some slack-OW!"

Katie had just bonked him on the head.

"Knock it off Soos, she's a girl not a mackerel!" She scolded.

Soos just waved his arms up and down in an annoyed manner.

Dipper tried to run away again, but it was too late. Mabel had caught up.

"Here you are, I was afraid I lost you." Mabel panted with relief.

"Yes...well...I have chores to do, i-it was nice...seeing...you...again..." He groaned and ran up the stairs.

"No wait!" Mabel ran after him. "I'm really sorry about this afternoon, I had no idea who you were, I would never in my life have pulled you...up on the...stage..."

Mabel had just seen Dipper's living area.

"What is this place?" She asked.

"This is where I live." Dipper explained.

"Did you make all these things yourself?" Mabel went over to the carvings.

"Most of them." Dipper said.

"This is beautiful." Mabel smiled. "I'm actually good at crafts myself, knitting mostly, but they don't bring in enough money so Grunkle Stan makes me dance for extra money. Not fond of it though..."

"But you're a wonderful dancer." Dipper pointed out.

"Well, it helps put bread on the table." Mabel shrugged humbly; she then saw a cloth on the table. "What's this?"

"Oh, no please I'm not finished, I still have to paint them!" Dipper pleaded.

Too late, Mabel lifted the cloth.

"It's the blacksmith." Mabel laughed. "And the baker. You're a surprising person Dipper. Not to mention lucky, all this room to yourself."

"Well it's not just me, there's the gargoyles and of course the bells." He gestured towards the ceiling. "Would...you like to see them?"

"Yes of course, wouldn't we Waddles?" Mabel smiled.

Waddles just oinked.

"Follow me, I'll introduce you." Dipper headed for the rafters with Mabel following.

"I never knew there were so many." Mabel remarked.

"That's Little Sophia." Dipper said. "And Jeanne-Marie, Ann-Marie, Louise-Marie. Triplets you know."

Mabel approached a big bell.

"And who's this?" She asked.

"Big Marie." Dipper smiled.

"Hello!" Mabel called inside the bell, her voice echoing.

"She likes you." Dipper smiled. "Would you like to see more?"

"How about it Waddles?"

Waddles oinked again, which echoed inside Big Marie, startling him. He let out a frightened squeal and rushed over to Mabel.

"We'd love to." Mabel said.

"Good, I've saved the best for last." Dipper smiled as he headed outside.

Mabel and Waddles followed Dipper outside onto a balcony and saw a beautiful sunset.

"Oh, I bet the king himself doesn't have a view like this." Mabel smiled. "I could stay up here forever."

"You could, you know." Dipper said hopefully.

"No, I couldn't." Mabel frowned.

"Oh yes, you have sanctuary."

"But not freedom. 'Gypsies don't do well inside stone walls'." Mabel remembered Gideon's words coldly.

"But you are not like other gypsies, they are...evil." Dipper said awkwardly.

"Who told you that?" Mabel was surprised.

"My master, Gideon. He raised me."

"How can such a cruel man have raised someone like you?"

"Cruel? Oh no, he saved my life. He took me in when no one else would" Dipper looked down sadly. "I am a monster you know."

"He told you that?" Mabel guessed.

"Look at me." Dipper gestured to himself.

Mabel looked at him suspiciously.

"Give me your hand." She said.

"What?" Dipper hesitated.

"Just let me see it." Mabel took his hand and looked at his palm. "Hm, a long life line...oh, and this one means you're shy. Hm, hm-hm-hm, well that's funny."

"What?"

"I don't see any."

"Any what?"

"Monster lines, not a single one."

Dipper looked at his hand confusedly.

"Now you look at me." She held out her palm. "Do you think I'm evil?"

"No!" Dipper held her hand. "No no, you are kind and good and-"

"And a gypsy." Mabel said. "And maybe Gideon is wrong about the both of us."

"What did she say?" Soos asked Katie, who was listening in through one of her horns.

"She said Gideon's a ding-dong and he wears a dress." Katie said before giggling.

"Ha! Told ya, pay up!" Soos held out his hand.

"Oh dear..." Mermando muttered as he held out a coin he pulled out of nowhere.

"Chump." Soos snatched the coin.

Dipper and Mabel went back to the edge.

"You helped me, now I will help you." Dipper decided.

"But there's no way out, there are soldiers at every door." Mabel pointed out.

"We won't use a door." Dipper smirked as he hopped onto the edge.

"You mean...climb down?" Mabel wasn't sure at first.

"Sure, you carry him, I'll carry you." Dipper pointed to Waddles and then Mabel.

"Hang on." Mabel took out her grappling hook. "This might come in handy."

"Great, but only use it when I tell you to. Otherwise just hold on." Dipper said.

"Okay, come on Waddles." Mabel held out her arms.

Waddles hopped into them. Mabel decided to cover Waddles's eyes with her handkerchief just to make sure. She then let Dipper pick her up.

"Ready?" Dipper said.

"Yup." Mabel smiled.

"Don't be afraid."

"I'm not afraid."

Dipper hopped over the edge.

" **Now** I'm afraid." Mabel said dryly.

"The trick is not to look down." Dipper said.

Waddles unfortunately did when his blindfold fell off. He squealed in terror and clung to Mabel.

"You done this before?" Mabel asked.

"No." Dipper said offhandedly.

He then ran along some carvings. Mabel gasped as she saw that there was no landing place nearby. That didn't worry Dipper though, after he leapt off he just grabbed another carving that wasn't so nearby instead. He then climbed down until he was on a part of the roof.

"Wow, you're quite an acrobat." Mabel smiled, impressed.

"Thank you." Dipper whispered back.

Suddenly the shingle they were on broke off! They yelled as they skidded down the roof towards the edge.

"Now, hurry!" Dipper whispered.

Mabel took out her grappling hook and used it to grab the top of the roof just in time. The shingle flew off the roof and crashed in an alley but they were safe on the edge of the roof.

"Check the alley!" A soldier said as he and a few others headed to where they heard the crash.

"This way!" Another soldier said.

Dipper had grabbed the edge of the roof, so Mabel released her grappling hook. Dipper then climbed down, but they had to hide amongst a giant statue as Blubs walked by with a torch. Fortunately he didn't notice anything.

"I hope I didn't scare you." Dipper whispered.

"Not for an instant." Mabel smirked.

Waddles begged to differ.

"I'll never forget you Mabel." Dipper said sadly.

"Come with me." Mabel smiled.

"What?"

"To the Court of Miracles, leave this place."

"Oh no, I'm never going back out there again, you saw what happened today." Dipper shook his head. "No, this is where I belong."

"All right then I'll come to see you." Mabel smiled.

"Here? But the soldiers...and Gideon..." Dipper protested.

"I'll come after sunset." Mabel shrugged.

"But at sunset I ring the evening mass, and then after that I clean the cloisters and then I ring the Vespers and-"

Mabel kissed him on the cheek.

"Whatever's good for you." Dipper smiled.

"If you ever need sanctuary, this will show you the way." Mabel took off a dreamcatcher-like necklace and gave it to Dipper.

"But how?"

"Just remember: when you wear this woven band, you hold the city in her hand." Mabel explained.

Dipper didn't understand, but he did hide the necklace under his shirt.

Waddles suddenly oinked. Soldiers were coming!

"Hurry, you must go." Dipper said.

Mabel and Waddles left. Dipper watched them leave with a smile and then climbed back to a balcony. Once he reached it someone grabbed his arm!

"Hi there, I'm looking for the gypsy girl have you seen her?" Barnaby smiled.

Dipper angrily pushed him away.

"Whoa whoa easy!" Barnaby held his hands up defensively.

Dipper grabbed a torch.

"No soldiers! Sanctuary! Get out!" He waved the torch around.

"Wait! All I want is-"

"Go!"

"I mean her no harm!"

"Go!" Dipper wasn't willing to listen.

Finally, Barnaby had to block the torch with his sword.

"You tell her from me, I didn't mean to trap her here." Barnaby said calmly. "It was the only way I could save her life."

Dipper softened a bit, but still didn't trust Barnaby.

"Will you tell her that?" Barnaby asked; Dipper hesitated. "Will you?"

"If you go, now." Dipper gave in.

"I'll go...now, will you...put me down please?"

Dipper saw that he was holding Barnaby in midair, so he awkwardly set Barnaby down. Barnaby started to leave as he sheathed his sword, but then stopped.

"Oh and one more thing: tell Mabel she's very lucky." He said.

"Why?" Dipper asked suspiciously.

"To have a friend like you." Barnaby smiled before leaving.

Dipper didn't know what to make of that, so he just went back upstairs, put the torch back, and headed for his room. The gargoyle quartet met him along the way.

"Hey hey, there he is!" Soos said proudly.

The quartet cheered Dipper.

"You ejected that tin-plated tonto with great panache!" Mermando smiled.

"The nerve of him, snoopin' around here trying to steal your girl." Soos frowned.

"My girl?" Dipper was confused.

"Mabel, brown hair, works with a pig remember?" Katie said dryly.

"Way to go lover-boy!" Soos gave Dipper a thumbs-up.

"Lover-boy?" Dipper chuckled embarrassedly. "Oh no, no no no no."

"Oh don't you be so modest." Multi-Bear smiled.

"Look, I appreciate what you're all trying to do, but let's not fool ourselves." Dipper said. "Ugliest face in all of Paris remember? I don't think I'm her type."

Dipper went over to the opening behind the table that held his carvings and looked outside. There he saw some couples walking over a bridge across the Seine.

DIPPER:  
So many times out here  
I've watched a happy pair  
Of lovers walking in the night  
They had a kind of glow around them  
It almost looked like heaven's light

Soos, Multi-Bear, Katie, and Mermando gazed at Dipper, liking the song. Soos even snuggled up against Katie...at least until Katie bopped him in the nose with an annoyed look. Soos massaged his nose irritatedly as Katie went back to gazing.

I knew I'd never know  
That warm and loving glow  
Though I might wish with all my might  
No face as hideous as my face  
Was ever meant for heaven's light

But suddenly an angel has smiled at me  
And kissed my cheek without a trace of fright

Dipper started carving Mabel out of a block of wood as the gargoyle quartet drew pictures of her. Katie's was the best. Dipper then painted the Mabel carving and set it down next to the carving of himself before ringing the evening bells.

I dare to dream that she  
Might even care for me  
And as I ring these bells tonight  
My cold dark tower seems so bright  
I swear it must be heaven's light

Down below, Quentin and the other priests were performing their nightly ritual of spreading incense around Notre Dame as they prayed:

Confiteor Deo Omnipotenti (I confess to God almighty)  
Beatae Mariae semper Virgini (To blessed Mary ever Virgin)  
Beato Michaeli archangelo (To the blessed archangel Michael)  
Sanctis apostolis omnibus sanctis (To the holy apostles, to all the saints)


	7. Hellfire

Back in the Palace of Justice, where Gideon lived, Gideon had his own prayer. He delivered it to a cross, which was hung over a fireplace:

Beata Maria  
You know I am a righteous man  
Of my virtue I am justly proud

Beata Maria  
You know I'm so much purer than  
The common, vulgar, weak, licentious crowd

Then tell me, Maria  
Why I see her dancing there  
Why her smoldering eyes still scorch my soul

I feel her, I see her  
The sun caught in her auburn hair  
Is blazing in me out of all control

Sure enough, through his own hallucination, he saw a fiery image of Mabel dancing in the fireplace.

Like fire  
Hellfire  
This fire in my skin  
This burning  
Desire  
Is turning me to sin

Gideon took out the rainbow scarf Mabel had teased him with earlier, rubbed it against his face, and then twisted it around his hands before collapsing in prayer. Instantly he hallucinated giant red-robed beings surrounding him. Gideon saw the beings and freaked out internally.

It's not my fault

RED-ROBES:  
Mea culpa (Through my fault)

GIDEON:  
I'm not to blame

RED-ROBES:  
Mea culpa (Through my fault)

GIDEON:  
It is the gypsy girl  
The witch who sent this flame

RED-ROBES:  
Mea maxima culpa (Through my most grievous fault)

GIDEON:  
It's not my fault

RED-ROBES:  
Mea culpa (Through my fault)

GIDEON:  
It is God's plan

RED-ROBES:  
Mea culpa (Through my fault)

GIDEON:  
He made the devil so much  
Stronger than a man

He then hallucinated the beings turning into fiery liquid and pouring into the fireplace.

GIDEON:  
Protect me, Maria  
Don't let this siren cast her spell  
Don't let her fire sear my flesh and bone

Destroy Mabel  
And let her taste the fires of hell  
Or else let her be mine and mine alone

He now hallucinated fiery-Mabel burning until she had disappeared, and then hallucinated a smoky Mabel coming out of the fireplace to embrace him. He embraced smoky-Mabel, and she disappeared.

"Minister Gideon, the gypsy has escaped." A soldier burst through the door.

"What?" Gideon couldn't believe it.

"She's no longer in the cathedral. She's gone."

"But how?" Gideon frowned with confusion and then just frowned. "Never mind. Get out, you idiot. I'll find her. I'll find her if I have to burn down all of Paris!"

He went back to singing:

Hellfire  
Dark fire  
Now gypsy, it's your turn

Choose me or  
Your pyre  
Be mine or you will burn

He tossed the rainbow scarf into the fireplace and watched it burn away. He then hallucinated shadows of robed beings going up the wall.

God have mercy on her  
God have mercy on me  
But she will be mine  
Or she will burn!

He collapsed onto the ground.


	8. Gideon's Rampage

The next day, Gideon traveled in his metal carriage to his soldiers. Including Captain Barnaby.

"Good morning sir." Barnaby said.

Gideon came out groaning as he massaged his forehead.

"Are you feeling all right?"

"I...had a little trouble with the fireplace." Gideon half-lied.

"I see." Barnaby said, still concerned but not sympathy-wise; however he decided to drop the subject. "Your orders sir?"

"Find the gypsy girl."

Soldiers burst into the baker's and searched until they found a trapdoor. Underneath were gypsies.

"Ten pieces of silver for the gypsy Mabel." Gideon said to the now-captured gypsies.

The gypsies just looked down silently.

"Lock them up!" Gideon ordered.

Other gypsies were put into a wagon, which was pushed into the river. The gypsies came out soaking wet but otherwise fine.

"Twenty pieces of silver for the gypsy Mabel." Gideon offered.

Same response as before.

"Take them away!" Gideon ordered.

Barnaby glared at the scene.

Finally they came upon the miller's. A crowd had formed nearby, which included the disguised Mabel and Waddles.

"He's never harmed anyone." A woman said.

"Gideon's gone mad." A man said.

"We found this gypsy talisman on your property, have you been harboring gypsies?" Gideon asked the miller.

"Our home is always open to the weary traveler." The miller pleaded. "Have mercy my lord."

"I am placing you and your family under house arrest until I get to the bottom of this, if what you say is true and you're innocent then you have nothing to fear."

"But we are innocent, I assure you we know nothing of these gypsies." The miller insisted.

Gideon and Barnaby left. Gideon then used a pole to barricade the door.

"Burn it." Gideon ordered Barnaby before getting back on his horse.

"What?" Barnaby couldn't believe his ears.

"Until it smolders. These people are traitors and must be made examples of." Gideon gave Barnaby a torch.

"With all due respect sir, I was not trained to murder the innocent."

"But you were trained to follow orders."

Barnaby neared the house with the torch...and put it out in a nearby rain-barrel.

"Insolent coward." Gideon glared before taking a torch and setting the house on fire by the windmill.

Instantly the building burst into flames. Barnaby had to duck out of the way as the windmill came down. The miller and his family screamed in terror, especially the kids, but Barnaby fearlessly burst through the window. He then kicked the door down while carrying the kids outside, the miller and his wife quickly following him. It was just in time too. The miller then took his son from Barnaby while the wife took the baby.

But then Blubs knocked Barnaby down. Durland picked Barnaby up slightly so that he couldn't break free and Blubs readied his sword.

"The sentence for insubordination is death." Gideon said coldly. "Such a pity, you threw away a promising career."

"Consider it my highest honor sir." Barnaby replied.

Blubs raised his sword...

But just then, Mabel gathered a rock into a cloth and swung the cloth. The rock sailed out and hit Gideon's horse in the rear, causing the horse to rise up and accidentally buck Gideon off. Barnaby took this opportunity to punch Blubs and Durland down and grab Gideon's horse as it galloped past him. He quickly climbed on and rode away.

"Get him! And don't hit my horse!" Gideon ordered.

A bunch of soldiers sent arrows after Barnaby until one hit him in the back. He grabbed his chest with pain and fell off the horse into the river below. The soldiers continued firing arrows into the water as Mabel snuck down the hill towards the river.

"Don't waste your arrows, let the traitor rot in his watery grave." Gideon ordered. "Find the girl, if you have to burn the city to the ground then so be it."

Gideon and the soldiers galloped off. Mabel dove into the water and pulled Barnaby out.

Turns out Gideon wasn't messing around either, soon many buildings in Paris were in flames.

"Sir, we've looked everywhere and still no sign of the gypsy girl." Blubs said.

"I had the entire cathedral surrounded, guards at every door." Gideon said to himself. "There was no way she could have escaped...unless..." He looked at the bell tower.


	9. A Guy Like You

Speaking of that location, three members of the gargoyle quartet were looking out into Paris dismayed.

"Oh it doesn't look good." Multi-Bear said worriedly.

"It's hopeless." Mermando lamented. "Absolutely hopeless. Ay caramba!"

"You're telling me," Soos said, annoyed instead of dismayed. "I'm losing to a bird!"

Yup, instead of watching Paris burn he was just playing a card game, I think poker, with a pigeon.

"Now we know who the real bird-brain is around here." Katie said in a snarky manner, annoyed that Soos wasn't paying attention to the real problem.

"Yeah...hey!" Soos glared at her.

"No arguing guys, we have a bigger problem." Multi-Bear said. "All those people suffering down there."

"And that poor gypsy girl, I'm beginning to feel the worse." Mermando added.

"I know, but now don't you say anything to upset Dipper. He's worried enough already."

"Yeah you're right, we'd better lighten up." Katie agreed.

Soos left his card game and came over.

"Shh shh, here he comes." Mermando whispered.

"Now stay calm." Multi-Bear said.

"Not a word." Mermando said.

"Easy does it." Soos agreed.

"Stone faced." Mermando said.

"Any sign of her?" Dipper asked as he joined the quartet.

Mermando cringed, shook, and cracked.

"Oh it's a lost cause!" He wailed. "She could be anywhere, in the stocks, in the dungeons, on the rack!"

He sobbed into Dipper's tunic, who patted him on the back awkwardly.

"Nice work Mermando." Katie said dryly.

"No, he's right." Dipper walked away worriedly. "What're we going to do?"

"What are you guys talking about?" Soos smirked as he fooled around with his cards. "If I know Mabel she's three steps ahead of Gideon and well out of harms way."

He used a Queen of Hearts to represent Mabel, the Three of Hearts to represent 'three steps', and the Joker to represent Gideon. He then folded the cards and they disappeared right in his hands.

"Do you really think so?" Dipper asked.

"Hey when things cool off she'll be back, you'll see." Soos started putting together a large sub sandwich.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because she likes ya." Katie smiled before ruffling Dipper's hair. "We always said you were the cute one."

"I thought I was the cute one." Soos said through a mouthful of sandwich.

"No you're the fat stupid one with the big mouth!" Katie retorted.

Soos just looked at her blankly.

"What're you saying exactly?" He asked.

"Take it from us Dipster, you got nothing to worry about." Multi-Bear smiled.

"Yeah, you're irresistible." Soos smiled, done with the sandwich and now onto sausages.

"Knights in shining armor certainly aren't her type." Mermando chuckled.

"And those guys are a dime a dozen, but you? You're one of a kind." Soos put a sausage onto a toasting fork. "Look:"

Paris, the city of lovers is glowing this evening  
True, that's because it's on fire  
But still, there's 'l'amour'

Somewhere out there in the night  
Her heart is also alight  
And I know the guy she just might be burning for

He stuck the sausage outside and brought it back in...to reveal that it was on fire. He blew out the fire and took a bite. He then brought his cards back out and flipped them so that they spread out in a row on the sill. He flipped them again so that they were face-up and the Ace of Hearts slid over to Dipper. Soos then 'smoked' the sausage and blew a heart-shaped smoke ring towards Dipper.

A guy like you  
She's never known, kid  
A guy like you  
A girl does not meet every day  
You've got a look  
That's all your own, kid  
Could there be two?

Soos put some curly wood strands on his head, and then made a camera shape with his fingers and bounced backward. That soon proved to be a mistake, he accidentally hit his head on the underside of a shelf. This ironically made him see double while looking at Dipper.

MUTLI-BEAR, MERMANDO, AND KATIE:  
Like you?

ALL FOUR:  
No way!

SOOS:  
Those other guys  
That she could dangle  
All look the same  
From every boring point of view

You're a surprise  
From every angle  
Mon Dieu above  
She's gotta love  
A guy like you

Soos emphasized his point by hanging similar-looking carvings from the carving of the gallows while Dipper looked at his reflection in various bells.

They now moved to a gambling table where they were playing cards.

MERMANDO:  
A guy like you  
Gets extra credit  
Because it's true  
You've got a...certain something more

"You're aces, kid." Soos tossed some cards into the air.

MULTI-BEAR:  
You see that face  
You don't forget it

KATIE AND MERMANDO:  
Want something new?

SOOS:  
That's you

ALL FOUR:  
For sure!

Dipper was now in a barber's chair and the quartet gave him a new hairdo in the form of a powdered wig. The mirror didn't like this new look, causing Soos to toss it away awkwardly.

KATIE:  
We all have gaped  
At some Adonis

Soos posed behind a statue of an attractive yet headless guy...who Mermando had to censor with a card that had the drawing of a leaf on it. He then moved to a basket and searched through it until he found a croissant.

MERMANDO:  
But then we crave a meal  
More nourishing to chew

SOOS:  
And since you're shaped  
Like a croissant is

Sure enough Dipper's hunch did resemble a croissant.

ALL FOUR:  
No question of  
She's gotta love  
A guy like you!

Soos decided to eat the croissant, but some pigeons that were on Katie had the same idea so he had to hop away.

Multi-Bear, Mermando and Katie moved to a piano that appeared out of nowhere. Mermando played a guitar while Multi-Bear played the piano. Katie was on top of the piano wearing a red boa and crystal-dangle earrings.

KATIE:  
Call me a hopeless romantic  
But Dipster, I feel it

MERMANDO:  
She wants you so  
Any moment she'll walk through that door

ALL FOUR:  
For

Soos tricked the pigeons into flying outside and then shut the door on them. He held the croissant up triumphantly and quickly ate it.

The gargoyle quartet then set up a trampoline using a blanket and bounced Dipper on it. Then the four of them bounced on the makeshift trampoline.

SOOS:  
A guy so swell

MULTI-BEAR, MERMANDO, AND KATIE:  
A guy like you

SOOS:  
With all you bring her

MULTI-BEAR, MERMANDO, AND KATIE:  
I tell you Dipster

SOOS:  
A fool could tell

MULTI-BEAR, MERMANDO, AND KATIE:  
There never was

SOOS:  
It's why she fell

MULTI-BEAR, MERMANDO, AND KATIE:  
Another, was he?

SOOS:  
For you-know-who

Soos at one point got stuck into a rafter thanks to his horns, but he just shrugged it off. The other three managed to pull him down though.

MULTI-BEAR, MERMANDO, AND KATIE:  
From king to serf  
To the bourgeoisie

SOOS:  
You ring the bell

The four of them now rang bells by moving around in the loops that attached the bells to the rafters.

ALL FOUR:  
You're the bell ringer!

When she wants oo-la-la  
Then she wants you-la-la  
She will discover, guy  
You're one heckuva guy  
Who wouldn't love a guy  
Like you?

They got so into the beat that even other statues nearby started snapping their fingers to the tune. Wait...what the...?

The gargoyle quartet suddenly set up a bunch of romantic statues and bouquets around Dipper. Katie and Mermando swung around on ropes attached to rafters and sprinkled petals down onto the scene. Soos even hopped into Dipper's arms and gave him the Ace of Hearts card.

KATIE:  
You got a lot

MERMANDO:  
The rest have not

SOOS:  
So she's gotta love  
A guy like you


	10. Love and Danger

"Dipster?" The door suddenly opened: it was Mabel. "Dipper!"

"Mabel?" Dipper said happily as he went downstairs. "Mabel! You're all right, I knew you would come back." He hugged her.

"You've done so much for me already my friend, but I must ask your help one more time." Mabel hugged him back.

"Yes, anything." Dipper smiled.

Mabel gestured for someone to come inside. A gypsy appeared gently dragging Barnaby inside. Dipper instantly was worried upon seeing how weak he looked.

"This is Barnaby, he's wounded and a fugitive like me." Mabel explained. "He can't go on much longer, I knew he'd be safe here. Please can you hide him?"

"This way." Dipper led Mabel and the other gypsy towards his bed.

Mabel and the gypsy gently lay Barnaby on Dipper's bed. Barnaby groaned and woke up slightly.

"Mabel?" He saw her bending over him.

"Shh, you'll hide here until you're strong enough to move." Mabel said.

She then uncorked a cloth-flask of wine.

"Great, I could use a drink." Barnaby smiled.

Mabel flipped him over and poured the drink onto the wound on his back. Barnaby groaned from the pain.

"Yes, feels like a 1470 Burgundy." Barnaby winced. "Not a good year."

"That family owes you their lives." Mabel said as she sewed his wound. "You're either the single bravest soldier I've ever seen, or the craziest."

"Ex-soldier, remember?" Barnaby winced. "Why is it whenever we meet I end up bleeding?

Mabel finished sewing up the wound and flipped him back onto his back.

"You're lucky, that arrow almost pierced your heart." She said.

Barnaby took her hand and put it over his heart.

"I'm not so sure it didn't." He said.

Mabel got what he was saying, and blushed a little. Truthfully, she was feeling the same way. So, she leaned over and kissed him.

You'd think Dipper would be hurt...but he wasn't. He was a bit disappointed but didn't feel any pain at all. In fact he even got over his disappointment quickly. He looked at the Ace of Hearts Soos gave him and tossed it away nonchalantly.

After Mabel and Barnaby kissed Barnaby fell asleep. Suddenly Waddles squealed fearfully at one of the openings!

Mabel and Dipper rushed over to the opening and saw Gideon getting out of his carriage!

"Gideon's coming!" Dipper gasped. "You must leave, quick follow me. Go down the south tower steps."

The other gypsy rushed out but Mabel stopped to say goodbye.

"Be careful my friend, promise you won't let anything happen to him." She said.

"I promise." Dipper smiled.

"Thank you." Mabel and Waddles left.

"Quick, we gotta stash the stiff!" Katie said.

Dipper rushed over, grabbed Barnaby, and dragged him over to the table that had his carvings on it. He quickly forced Barnaby under the table and tried to straighten the carvings he accidentally knocked down. Gideon arrived.

"Oh, master I-I-I didn't think you'd be coming." Dipper quickly said, making it look as if he was just playing with his carvings.

"I'm never to busy to share a meal with you dear boy." Gideon half-lied. "I brought a little treat."

He sat down next to the table and placed a basket on it. He then cleared his throat.

"Oh." Dipper rushed to get the goblets and plates, though broke a few due to his nerves.

Dipper then went back and set the goblets and plates out. Gideon put grapes on both plates.

"Is something troubling you Dipper?" Gideon said.

"Oh, no." Dipper tried hard not to sound nervous but failed.

"Oh but there is." Gideon ate a grape. "I know there is."

A grape fell off Gideon's bunch, and Dipper went to get it so that Gideon wouldn't end up seeing Barnaby. He still acted nervous though.

"I think...you're hiding something." Gideon guessed.

"Oh no master, I-" Dipper hesitated as he thought about what to do with the loose grape; he just put it on his plate. "There's no-"

"You're not eating." Gideon pointed out.

Dipper stuffed a bunch of grapes into his mouth.

"It's very good, thank you." He said.

Barnaby woke up slightly, but Dipper covered for it by pretending to make 'yummy' sounds about the grapes. Barnaby then groaned so Dipper had to kick him in the head to knock him out. He covered for it by coughing and pounding his chest.

"Seeds." Dipper smiled awkwardly, pointing to the grapes he hadn't eaten.

Gideon gave him a suspicious look.

"What's different in here?" He got up.

"Nothing, sir." Dipper lied.

Gideon then saw the carving of Mabel.

"Isn't this one new? It's awfully good." He said, picking it up. "Looks very much like the gypsy girl."

Dipper now looked worried, he realized that Gideon had figured out how Mabel had escaped in the first place.

"I know...you helped her escape!" Gideon snapped angrily, slamming the Mabel carving on the table.

"But I-" Dipper tried to defend himself.

"And now all Paris is burning because of you!" Gideon tossed the Mabel carving aside.

"She was kind to me master." Dipper cowered.

"YOU IDIOT!" Gideon smashed almost all of Dipper's carvings. "That wasn't kindness, it was cunning! She's a gypsy, gypsies are not capable of real love! Think boy! Think of your mother!"

Gideon grabbed Dipper by the front of his tunic, causing Dipper to stare at him fearfully. Gideon then calmed down and let go of Dipper.

"But what chance could a poor misshapen child like you have against her heathen treachery?" Gideon took out a small thin blade and stabbed the Mabel carving before burning it in a candle. "Well, never you mind Dipper, she'll be out of our lives soon enough. I will free you from her evil spell. She will torment you no longer."

Gideon then tossed the now-burning Mabel carving onto the ground. Dipper looked at it with horror.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I know where her hideout is, and tomorrow at dawn I attack with a thousand men." Gideon replied before leaving...with an evil smirk.

There was suddenly a groan. Barnaby came out from underneath the table.

"We have to find the Court of Miracles before daybreak." He said. "If Gideon gets there first...are you coming with me?"

"I can't." Dipper hung his head.

"I thought you were Mabel's friend." Barnaby frowned.

"Gideon's my master, I can't disobey him again." Dipper explained before turning around.

"She stood up for you!" Barnaby said angrily. "You've got a funny way of showing gratitude!"

Dipper didn't budge.

"Well I'm not going to sit by and watch Gideon massacre innocent people." Barnaby retorted before leaving. "You do what you think is right."

Dipper saw the gargoyle quartet looking sternly at him.

"What?" He said defensively. "What am I supposed to do? Go out there and rescue the girl from the jaws of death and the whole town will cheer like I'm some kind of a hero? Like that'll ever happen!" He snapped before sighing. "Gideon was right, Gideon was right about everything. And I'm tired of trying to be something that I'm not."

He then automatically looked at his palm, looked at the smoldering Mabel carving, and brought out the necklace Mabel gave him. He didn't know why but...he still felt some weird connection to her. Even though Mabel didn't love him romantically he still felt as if they belonged together. But not as a couple, as...as something else. Something he couldn't explain. After all he ended up not really loving her, at least not romantically. Sure he felt some affection for her before, but it couldn't have been romantic because Mabel picking Barnaby instead didn't hurt him in any way. And he still felt affection towards her, enough to...to want to make sure that she would never be harmed.

Multi-Bear smiled as he held out a cloak. Dipper took it, looked at it, and sighed.

"I must be out of my mind." He muttered as he put on the cloak and left.

Downstairs, Barnaby was just about to leave through an outside door-

"Barnaby!" Dipper hung upside down from the carvings on the wall.

Barnaby gasped with fright.

"*Shh*, I'm coming with you!" Dipper landed on the ground.

"Glad you changed your mind." Barnaby whispered dryly, annoyed about being startled.

"I'm not doing it for you I'm doing it for her." Dipper retorted.

"You know where she is?"

"No, but she said that this will help us find her." Dipper took out the necklace and gave it Barnaby.

"Good good good!" Barnaby looked at the necklace. "Ah, great...! What is it?"

"I'm not sure." Dipper shrugged.

"Hm, maybe it's some sort of code." Barnaby studied the dangling part of the necklace. "Maybe it's in Arabic...no, no it's not Arabic. Maybe it's Ancient Greek."

"When you wear this woven band you hold the city in your hand." Dipper remembered what Mabel told him.

"What?"

"It's the city!" Dipper realized.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's a map. See, here's the cathedral, and the river, and this little stone must be-"

"I've never seen a map that looks like-"

"Look I've lived up in the bell tower for twenty years and I think I know what the city looks like from above and this is-"

"Well I've been in battles on four continents so I've got a very good idea what a map looks like and this is not-"

"It!" Barnaby and Dipper finished at the same time.

They then glared at each other, both annoyed, and took a deep breath.

"All right, okay, if you say it's a map, fine, it's a map." Barnaby gave in. "But if we're going to find Mabel then we're have to work together. Truce?"

"Well...okay." Dipper patted him on the back, forgetting his strength.

Sure enough Barnaby gasped with pain.

"Sorry." Dipper said.

"No you're not..." Barnaby muttered.


	11. Court of Trickery

Using the 'map', they made their way to the cemetery. They looked around the cemetery until they found a building-like grave that had a familiar symbol on it.

"This looks like the symbol on the map." Barnaby said.

"But what does it mean?" Dipper asked.

"Hm, not sure." Barnaby took the torch Dipper brought with him and moved closer. "I can make out an inscription but it's going to take a few minutes to translate it."

Dipper, meanwhile, was leaning on a part of the grave that was protruding out. He noticed it felt loose so he moved it just in case there was a reason why. There was: it turned out to be a slab that was covering an entrance that opened up into a staircase.

"Yes or, well uh, we could just go down those stairs." Barnaby said awkwardly.

They did and when they reached the bottom of the staircase they found themselves in ankle-deep water with skeletons all around.

"Is this the Court of Miracles?" Dipper couldn't believe it.

"Offhand I'd say it's the Court of Ankle-Deep Sewage." Barnaby replied dryly. "Must be the old catacombs."

They continued on there way.

"Cheerful place." Barnaby said dryly before chuckling: "Kinda makes you wish you got out more often eh Dipster?"

"Not me, I just want to warn Mabel and get back to the bell tower before I get into any more trouble." Dipper shook his head.

They didn't notice that some of the skeletons had turned their heads...

"Speaking of trouble, we should have run into some by now." Barnaby realized.

"What do you mean?"

"You know, a guard, a booby trap..."

The torch suddenly went out.

"Or an ambush." Barnaby finished.

Different torches were turned on, revealing an ambush of gypsies disguised as skeletons. A few of them grabbed Dipper and Barnaby and forced them to kneel. Grunkle Stan showed up, this time not wearing his mask.

"Well well well, what have we here?" He smirked.

"Trespassers!" One gypsy said.

"Spies!" Another gypsy said.

"We're not spies!" Barnaby said.

"You've got to listen-" Dipper said.

Too late, they were bound and gagged.

"Don't interrupt me." Grunkle Stan said. "You're very clever to have found our hideaway. Unfortunately, you won't live to tell the tale."

GRUNKLE STAN AND GYPSIES:  
Maybe you've heard of a terrible place  
Where the scoundrels of Paris  
Collect in a lair

Maybe you've heard of that mythical place  
Called the Court of Miracles  
Hello, you're there!

Where the lame can walk  
And the blind can see  
But the dead don't talk  
So you won't be around  
To reveal what you've found

Turns out the lame and the blind were faking it. As for the dead...well, they really were the dead. Which Grunkle Stan confirmed when he sliced off their necks with a sword.

We have a method for spies and intruders  
Rather like hornets protecting their hive  
Here in the Court of Miracles  
Where it's a miracle if you get out alive!

Grunkle Stan led the way as the gypsies carried Barnaby and Dipper to the main section of the Court of Miracles where the gypsies all lived.

"Gather around everybody, there's good 'noose' tonight." Grunkle Stan hopped onto the gallows. "It's a double-header, a couple of Gideon's spies."

The gypsies all booed.

"And not just any spies, his captain of the guard and his loyal, bell-ringing, henchmen."

Now Mabel had told Grunkle Stan about Dipper helping her escape Notre Dame but she had yet to tell him about Barnaby saving the miller's family. She was worried he wouldn't take her falling in love with Barnaby well due to him having been a soldier. So when Grunkle Stan saw Dipper with Barnaby he figured that Dipper only helped Mabel in repayment for her having stood up for him and nothing more.

Fortunately, someone familiar saw what was going on and left to get someone else...

GRUNKLE STAN:  
Justice is swift in the Court of Miracles  
I am the lawyers and judge all in one  
We like to get the trial over with quickly  
Because it's the sentence that's really the fun!

Grunkle Stan went over to tighten Barnaby's noose, though neglected Dipper's. There was still a chance that the deformed lad might be his nephew so it made it internally hard for Grunkle Stan to kill Dipper. It was like he was hoping that Dipper would just slip out of the noose and if he didn't...well, at least he tried to spare him.

"Any last words?" Grunkle Stan asked.

Dipper and Barnaby tried to plead, but their words were too muffled. No one could understand even a sound.

"That's what they all say." Grunkle Stan said dryly before going back to singing:

Now that we've seen all the evidence

"Wait! I object!" His puppet-self suddenly popped up.

"Overruled!" Grunkle Stan forced him down.

"I object!" His puppet-self popped up again.

"Quiet!" Grunkle Stan snapped, slamming his hat over the puppet.

"Dang." His puppet-self muttered.

GRUNKLE STAN:  
We find you totally innocent  
Which is the worst crime of all

GRUNKLE STAN AND GYPSIES:  
So you're going to hang!

Grunkle Stan was about to pull the trigger-

"Stop!"

Startled, Grunkle Stan let go of the trigger. It was Mabel, who rushed onto the platform.

"Mabel!" Dipper and Barnaby said through their gags; this muffled sound was an easy guess anyway.

"These men aren't spies, they're our friends." Mabel went onto the gallows and removed the gags.

"Well why didn't they say so?" Grunkle Stan shrugged innocently.

"We did say so!" Dipper and Barnaby retorted, pretty ticked off.

"Grunkle Stan..." Mabel said both warningly and sternly. "I did tell you about Dipper helping me escape the cathedral remember?"

"Well yeah, but you never said anything about the captain of the guards being our friend." Grunkle Stan crossed his arms defensively.

"I was going too...anyway, he's the soldier who saved the miller's family." Mabel said as she untied Dipper and Barnaby.

"Oh."

"We came to warn you!" Barnaby went closer to the gypsies. "Gideon's coming! He says he knows where you're hiding and he's attacking at dawn with a thousand men!"

The gypsies all gasped.

"Then let's waste no time, we must leave immediately." Mabel said.

The gypsies all agreed and started to pack up. Mabel, Barnaby, and Dipper climbed down the gallows.

"You took a terrible risk coming here, we may not exactly show it but we're grateful." Mabel hugged Barnaby.

Barnaby saw Dipper looking at them and felt awkward, but Dipper just waved it aside with a smile. Even so Barnaby had to admit something.

"Don't thank me, thank Dipper." He broke free and moved Dipper closer to Mabel. "Without his help I would never have found my way here."

"Nor would I!"

It was Gideon with the thousand men! Everyone gasped! The gypsies then screamed and tried to run away but they were all trapped! Soon they were all captured. Even Waddles was captured.

"After twenty years of searching the Court of Miracles is mine at last." Gideon smiled as he came down the stairs. "Dear Dipper, I always knew you would someday be of use to me."

"No!" Dipper gasped, realizing Gideon had tricked him.

"What are you talking about?" Mabel glared.

"Why he led me right to you my dear." Gideon smiled.

"You're a liar." Mabel said coldly, knowing Dipper would never willingly lead Gideon here.

"And look what else I've caught in my net: Captain Barnaby back from the dead." Gideon then saw Barnaby. "Another 'miracle' no doubt. I shall remedy that. There'll be a little bonfire in the square and you are all invited to attend!"

All the gypsies looked at Gideon with horror.

"Lock them up." Gideon ordered.

All except for Dipper were taken away.

"No, please master." Dipper begged, grabbing Gideon's robe; Gideon just looked at him sternly. "No...no..."

He collapsed onto the ground defeatedly, feeling worse than horrible.

"Take him back to the bell tower...and make sure he stays there." Gideon ordered some remaining soldiers.


	12. A Flight for Freedom

Not too much later, Mabel was tied to a stake on a platform and Barnaby and the gypsies were all locked up in prison-like wagons. Gideon and a guy holding a torch was on the platform as well, and soldiers surrounded the platform to prevent anyone from coming to Mabel's rescue. One other soldier was standing nearby and tossing kindling around Mabel's feet.

"The prisoner Mabel has been found guilty of the crime of witchcraft." Gideon said. "The punishment: death."

The crowd protested, but couldn't get past the soldiers.

Quentin, not caring what happened to him anymore, tried to leave the cathedral to stop this. However Gideon foresaw such an action and had posted soldiers there to prevent him from coming too close. Sure enough the soldiers blocked Quentin's path with spears. Seeing that it was useless to try any further Quentin went back inside, not wanting to watch another of his friends die. It would be like seeing Mrs. Pines dead all over again.

The guy with the torch then gave the torch to Gideon.

"The time has come gypsy, you stand upon the brink of the abyss." He said quietly to Mabel. "Yet even now it is not too late. I can save you from the flames of this world, and the next. Choose me, or the fire."

Mabel, realizing what he was insinuating, just spat in his face. No way was she going to even be acquaintances with the man who killed her parents and brother let alone...she didn't even want to think about it.

Gideon frowned at Mabel, who gave him such a death glare that it was a pity that it wasn't literal.

"The gypsy Mabel has refused to recant!" Gideon said to the crowd. "This evil witch has put the soul of every citizen in Paris-"

And where was Dipper? Chained to the columns so that he could see what was going to happen to Mabel. He was just slumped over, heartbroken and completely defeated. The gargoyle quartet weren't defeated though, they were trying to break the chains.

"Come on Dipster, snap out of it!" Soos pleaded.

"Your amigos are down there!" Mermando agreed.

"It's all my fault." Dipper said to himself.

"You've gotta break these chains!" Multi-Bear said.

"I can't, I tried, what difference would it make?" Dipper retorted.

"But you can't let Gideon win." Mermando protested.

"He already has."

"Say, you're giving up?" Soos was so shocked he stopped trying to break the chains. "That's it?"

"These chains aren't what's holding you back Dipper!" Katie scolded.

"Leave me alone." Dipper snapped coldly.

Shocked, and hurt, the gargoyle quartet gave up and started to leave.

"Okay, okay Dipster, we'll leave you alone." Soos said sadly.

"After all, we're only made out of stone." Mermando shrugged.

"We just thought maybe you were made of something stronger." Multi-Bear sighed.

"But I guess we were wrong." Katie said sadly.

All four became still and lifeless. Dipper started to feel bad for snapping at them.

"For justice, for Paris, and for her own salvation." Gideon was still going on.

Dipper, getting newfound determination, looked down to where Mabel and Gideon were.

"It is my sacred duty to send this unholy demon, back to where she belongs." Gideon set the timber around Mabel on fire!

"NOOOOOO!" The crowd screamed.

"NOOOOOOO!" Dipper screamed, now trying really hard to break free.

A few tense moments passed. Mabel coughed from the smoke as Gideon grinned at her evilly.

Finally, Dipper was able to break free. Angry, he grabbed some nearby rope, tied it around a gargoyle spout, and leapt down. He paused for a moment on the wall, and then swung onto the platform. He went over and freed the unconscious Mabel. Blubs, Durland, and another soldier climbed onto the platform but he used her stake to knock them down. He then grabbed his rope and swung back to Notre Dame.

"Dipper!" Gideon scolded.

Dipper didn't listen, he just kept going until he was on the edge of a balcony. He held Mabel above his head.

"SANCTUARY!" Dipper cried.

"SANCTUARY!" The crowd echoed.

"SANCTUARY!"

"SANCTUARY!"

"SANCTUARY!"

"SANCTUARY!"

"Captain!" Gideon ordered Blubs.

"Sir?" Blubs said.

"Seize the cathedral."

Dipper gently carried Mabel into a room and set her down on a cot.

"Don't worry, you'll be safe here." He said.

"Charge!" Someone outside said.

Dipper ran for the balcony and headed to where they made new bells. He grabbed a beam and tossed it over the side, causing a bunch of soldiers to scatter. It crushed Gideon's carriage.

"Come back you cowards!" Gideon ordered, grabbing a sword from a soldier. "You men, pick up that beam, break down the door."

A bunch of soldiers ran for the door, leaving only one in front of Barnaby's 'wagon'.

"Alone at last." Barnaby smirked as he grabbed the soldier by the neck and hit him on the head.

The soldier fell down unconscious, and Barnaby grabbed his keys in the process. He freed himself, grabbed a spear, and leapt onto the top of the 'wagon'.

"Citizens of Paris, Gideon has persecuted our people, ransacked our city, and now, he has declared war on Notre Dame herself! Will we allow it?" He called out

"NOOOOO!" The crowd declared, rushing forward with whatever they could use for weapons.

The crowd set the gypsies free, gave them their own weapons (and gave Grunkle Stan his cane back, which had been taken away when he was captured). They all, peasants and gypsies, then attacked the soldiers.

"I think the calvary's here!" Soos smiled before seeing someone familiar. "Hey isn't that, uh, Barnacle?"

"Gaby." Katie guessed.

"Barnaby!" Dipper said happily.

Barnaby punched a soldier in the mouth, knocking many of his teeth out.

Dipper threw a large stone over the edge, breaking a ladder and causing many soldiers to fall down. Mermando cringed and dropped a brick over the edge. It hit a soldier on the head.

"Lo siento!" Mermando called. "Sorry!"

"Uh, Mermando, they're the enemy remember?" Katie frowned.

"Well I don't like hurting people in general..." Mermando muttered.

Soos chewed up a piece of stone, flew around like an airplane, and then shot out the chewed up pieces of stone like bullets. All the soldiers that were being attacked by those pieces ran away.

"Harder!" Gideon ordered.

The soldiers that were trying to break the door down continued to do so.

Barnaby was fighting many of the soldiers - even knocking two down at once - Mermando and Soos rushed to build something, and one peasant was fighting a soldier but had to duck. This resulted in the soldier's weapon going through the stocks where McGucket was.

"I'm free I'm free!" McGucket cackled, starting to leave...until he fell through a manhole. "Danggit."

It was then revealed that Mermando and Soos were building a catapult.

Some soldiers tried to climb up by rope, but Dipper pulled hard on the rope. This caused the soldiers to lose their grip and fall into the Seine.

"Ready...aim...fire!" Mermando said...just before he and Soos pushed the catapult over the edge.

The soldiers scattered and the catapult landed harmlessly on the ground.

"Are you sure that's how it works?" Mermando scratched his head.

Suddenly the catapult activated and flipped over so that it pinned a few soldiers to the ground.

"Works for me!" Soos smiled.

Barnaby was fighting Blubs, and managed to gain the upper-hand by wrapping the cloth part of his armor over his head. Waddles then butted him towards Achilles. Barnaby, who was now fighting Durland, saw this.

"Achilles, sit." He said.

Achilles did...on Blubs's head. Blubs protested though it was hard to hear what he was saying.

A huge flock of pigeons flew down towards the soldiers.

"Fly my pretties, fly fly!" Katie cackled.

"You're starting to scare me." Multi-Bear looked at Katie awkwardly.

"Oh hush up." Katie retorted.

The soldiers tried to run away but the pigeons soon caught up and pecked them rapidly on their helmets.

"Put your backs into it!" Gideon ordered.

The soldiers with the battering ram were starting to make progress on the doors.

Now desperate, Mermando used Soos as bellows to heat up a huge pot of boiling lead. Dipper then attached a rope to the pot and he and the gargoyle quartet pulled on the rope. The pot tipped over and boiling lead poured towards the edge of Notre Dame and poured out the gargoyle spouts. The soldiers, including the ones with the battering ram, saw this and ran away. Only Gideon was left, and he disappeared behind the waterfall of molten lead.

Unfortunately, Gideon was not only still alive but the soldiers with the beam had also made a good enough hole for Gideon to climb himself through. With a little help from his sword.

"Gideon, have you gone mad?" Quentin came down the stairs angrily. "I will not tolerate this assault on the House of God!"

"Silence you old fool." Gideon retorted before flinging Quentin aside. "The hunchback and I have unfinished business to attend to. And this time, you will not interfere." Gideon locked the door behind him.

Quentin worriedly looked up the stairs and hoped that Dipper and Mabel would be able to fight Gideon off and escape. He certainly couldn't help, his landing on the ground like that sprained his leg.


	13. Dipper Learns the Truth

"We've done it Mabel, we've beaten them back! Come and see!" Dipper excitedly went into the room where he put Mabel.

No reaction. Dipper went over to Mabel.

"Mabel wake up, you're safe now." Dipper said, still happy but starting to get worried. "Mabel?"

Still no reaction.

"Oh no..." Dipper was now completely worried and tried to pour water in Mabel's mouth with a spoon; nothing. "Oh no." He dropped the spoon before starting to cry on Mabel heartbrokenly.

The gargoyle quartet sadly shut the door and left, giving Dipper privacy.

A few moments later, the door opened. It was Gideon. He went over and put a hand on Dipper's hunch.

"You killed her." Dipper whispered angrily.

"It was my duty, horrible as it was." Gideon said with fake regret. "I hope you will forgive me."

Dipper just frowned. He was never going to forgive Gideon for this.

"There there Dipper, I know it hurts." Gideon said with a fake-comforting tone. "But now the time has come to end your suffering..."

Dipper looked up and saw the shadow of Gideon...with the shadow of a thin dagger!

"Forever." Gideon finished.

Dipper turned around with a horrified gasp and quickly stopped Gideon's arm as Gideon lunged to stab Dipper. They struggled with the dagger for a moment until Dipper finally was able to take the dagger and knock Gideon down. He looked as if he was about to stab Gideon.

"Now now..." Gideon said fearfully. "L-listen to me, Dipper-"

"No you listen!" Dipper snapped before dropping the dagger. "All my life you have told me that the world is a dark cruel place, but now I see that the only thing dark and cruel about it is people like you!"

"Dipper?"

It was Mabel!

"Mabel." Dipper went over to her and picked her up, not believing it.

"She lives." Gideon said coldly, taking out the sword he grabbed earlier.

"No!" Dipper declared, running outside.

Gideon followed...but Dipper and Mabel had disappeared. He cautiously walked down and turned a corner menacingly...nothing. Gideon then remembered a fact about Dipper, and looked over the edge. There they were.

"Leaving so soon?" He mocked.

He started thrusting his sword at them.

"Look, up there!" Someone down below said, having noticed.

"Hang on!" Dipper said before continuing to dodge the blows from Gideon's sword by swinging from spout to spout.

Dipper and Mabel were now on one of the gargoyles, and Gideon thrust his sword again. Mabel fell to the floor as Dipper ducked backwards. Dipper then climbed onto the gargoyle so that he could go to Mabel once Gideon missed him with the sword again.

"I should've known you'd risk your life to save your sister." Gideon glared. "Just as your mother died trying to save you."

"What?" Dipper and Mabel both gasped, stunned, before staring at each other.

Mabel couldn't believe it, Dipper had been her brother the whole time? Her brother had been alive this whole time?

Dipper was even more stunned, since not only did he find out that he had a sister he also learned the truth about his...about their mother. One thing's for sure, this did explain the connection he felt towards Mabel, but still...

"Now, I'm going to do what I should have done... **twenty years ago**!" Gideon thrust his cloak over Dipper's head and used it to make Dipper lose his balance.

It worked, Dipper fell but managed to grab onto the carvings along the wall. He then automatically pulled on the cloak and caused Gideon to fall off the balcony as well. Dipper looked at Gideon. He didn't want to let go of Gideon's cloak, he wasn't that kind of person, but after finding out Gideon's true colors... He couldn't think, he had seen how high up he and Gideon were and the height was making him a bit dazed.

"NOO!" Mabel cried, running over to Dipper. "Brother!"

She grabbed his other hand.

Gideon turned and saw a gargoyle spout that looked like some kind of sea serpent. Sea serpent, not snake, this spout had huge teeth jotting out from the lower jaw and fin-like ears on either side of the head. It also had some sort of fin-like thing on the top of it's head. Getting an idea, Gideon swung until he was able to grab onto the spout.

"Hold on, please." Mabel sobbed to Dipper. "I can't lose you again."

Dipper was too woozy to do anything besides hang from her hand limply.

Gideon then let go of his cloak and climbed onto the spout. He steadied himself and raised his sword with an evil laugh. Mabel looked at him fearfully.

"And he shall smite the wicked and plunge them into the fiery pit!" Gideon declared maniacally as he thrust his sword back.

Suddenly, the gargoyle spout started to break. Gideon lost his balance and hung for dear life onto the spout...which suddenly bared it's teeth and roared at him! Gideon gave a yell of fright! The spout then broke completely and Gideon screamed as he fell into the fiery pit below. He was gone forever.

"Brother...brother..." Mabel said desperately as she still tried to pull Dipper up.

She lost her grip! Dipper started to fall!

"NOOOOO!" She screamed.

Just then, Barnaby caught Dipper! Fortunately Barnaby had been able to find a break in the molten lead and make his way inside. Mabel smiled down at them and then rushed downstairs.

Barnaby then gently set Dipper onto the floor. Dipper smiled at Barnaby and hugged him. Since Barnaby had his arms pinned to his sides he just patted Dipper on the back with a smile. Mabel then appeared, so Dipper let go and they hugged tightly.

"I thought you were dead." She sobbed.

"I didn't even know I had a sister." Dipper sobbed.

"Sister?" Barnaby was surprised.

"Gideon just admitted it a couple minutes ago." Mabel nodded. "Dipper's my brother...my brother... You were alive this whole time...Gideon must've been forced to raise you or something..."

"I guess..." Dipper was still getting used to this.

"Well, you definitely have to live with me at the Court of Miracles now." Mabel smiled.

"No...I've been living here for twenty years." Dipper said. "I can't imagine living anywhere else. But I'll still visit you often."

"I'll visit you often too." She hugged him again.

He hugged her back, then broke free and took her hand. He took Barnaby's hand, and put his hand and Mabel's hand together. Barnaby and Mabel looked at each other, smiled, and kissed. Dipper just smiled at them.

A bit later on, they went all the way downstairs. That's when they saw Quentin resting painfully on the ground.

"Quentin!" Mabel gasped, running over to him.

Barnaby and Dipper did as well.

"Mabel...Dipper! You're both okay!" Quentin smiled happily as he and Mabel hugged. "I was so worried about you both."

"Gideon huh?" Barnaby guessed.

"Yeah, sprained my leg." Quentin winced. "I'm so glad you're okay Dipper, I thought Gideon was going to kill you and your sister this time."

"Wait...you know about that?" Dipper said.

"He is a friend of the fam-" Mabel looked at Quentin stunned.

"Sorry I never told you or Stan earlier, but I knew that if you knew Dipper was alive you would've insisted on him coming home with you." Quentin apologized. "And I also knew that as long as Gideon was forced to raise Dipper he would be safe from his wrath."

"So you were just keeping him safe...you're also the one who saved his life aren't you?" Mabel smiled.

"Yeah, didn't make it in time to save your mother though..." Quentin said sadly.

Mabel hugged him again.

"Thank you." She said.

"Definitely." Dipper smiled. "Thank you."

Quentin just smiled.


	14. Acceptance and Reunion

They continued talking until midday or so. By that time the molten lead had been cooled enough for Dipper, Mabel, and Barnaby to go outside. Quentin was still in too much pain to move much.

Mabel and Barnaby went outside first, holding hands, and raised those hands triumphantly as the crowd cheered. Mabel then went back to the door and reached her hand out. Dipper hesitated.

"It's okay bro-bro," Mabel smiled. "Barnaby and I will be there with you. Besides, I know Grunkle Stan will be happy to see you alive."

Dipper took her hand and let her lead him outside. He squinted from the bright sunlight but soon got used to it. He then looked around worriedly as the crowd hesitated.

Then, one little girl went over to him. Dipper looked frightened as the little girl reached her hand out, but there was nothing to fear. The little girl just gently touched his face and then slowly hugged him. Dipper smiled and gently put a hand on her hand. The little girl then led him down the steps and closer to the crowd.

"Three cheers for Dipper!" Grunkle Stan cheered.

The crowd agreed, patting Dipper on the hunch and shoulders, and then to his delight two guys picked him up and carried him over their shoulders. He looked back at Mabel and Barnaby, who smiled at him proudly.

Waddles went over, hopped into Mabel's arms, and licked Barnaby on the cheek before smiling towards Dipper.

"That's my brother." Mabel said proudly.

Waddles looked surprised, and then looked happier.

"Come on Barnaby!" Mabel laughed, running after the crowd.

"Hey wait up!" Barnaby laughed again.

"Grunkle Stan, hurry up will you?" Mabel called.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Grunkle Stan followed. "Cut an old man some slack will ya?"

He wasn't the only one falling behind, the little girl from earlier had fallen behind as well. Grunkle Stan noticed and picked her up as he sang:

GRUNKLE STAN:  
So here is a riddle to guess if you can  
Sing the bells of Notre Dame  
What makes a monster and what makes a man?

Grunkle Stan pulled out his puppet of Gideon and pretended to attack the girl with it. The girl just giggled and ruffled the puppet. This would also be the only way anyone would ever see Gideon again.

CROWD:  
Sing the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells

Dipper looked back again and saw the gargoyle quartet. Soos poured champagne, Mermando sobbed with joy, and Multi-Bear and Katie raised their glasses in a toast to him.

GRUNKLE STAN:  
Whatever and which you,  
Can feel them bewitch you  
The rich and the ritual peals  
Of the

GRUNKLE STAN AND CROWD:  
Bells of Notre Dame!

The gargoyle quartet continued watching peacefully...until more pigeons landed on Katie.

"DON'T YOU EVER MIGRATE?" Katie waved her arms irritatedly.

The pigeons scattered...and this time Multi-Bear laughed. Soos and Mermando started laughing as well.

"Aw shut up." Katie scowled.

After the 'parade', Mabel caught up with Dipper.

"Come on bro-bro, there's someone I want to introduce you to." She smiled.

"Okay-" Dipper was cut off as Mabel pulled him through the crowd.

They stopped when they came near to Grunkle Stan.

"Mabel!" Grunkle Stan hugged her.

"Hey grunkle." Mabel smiled. "There's someone I'd like you to meet."

"What does that mean anyway?" Dipper asked confusedly.

"Great-uncle." Mabel explained.

Dipper took a step back, stunned.

"What? What is it?" Grunkle Stan asked.

"Grunkle, meet you great-nephew." Mabel smiled then frowned confusedly. "Now what would you call that? Grephew? Yeah I guess grephew works...in my case let's see...I guess that would be greice...nah, sounds too much like the country-"

"Whoa whoa back up!" Grunkle Stan interrupted. "You mean..." He stared at Dipper. "You always did look like my late nephew to me...I at first thought you were him but I was scared that it wouldn't be true... But you being my great-nephew...I never thought that could be true..."

"Oh it is true, turns out Quentin saved his life and forced Gideon to raise him to protect him from getting killed later on." Mabel explained. "Now let's see...neat? Nah, sounds like Nate and that's a boy name. I know! Neit! Yeah, that sounds 'neat' all right." She laughed.

"Was she always like this?" Dipper asked Grunkle Stan.

"She was when she was a little girl." Grunkle Stan smiled nostalgically. "But when Gideon killed your parents - and we also thought he killed you too - well..." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, obviously you being returned to us brought her old self back."

"That and the fact that Gideon is now gone for good." Mabel grinned.

She then hugged Dipper again.

"We're back together, and we'll never be separated again." She said.

"Nope...except for when you have to go to your home and I have to go back to mine." Dipper hugged her back.

"Well that's not really being separated..." Mabel broke free and shrugged.

"Wait, you're not coming with us?" Grunkle Stan looked sad.

"Too used to living in Notre Dame." Dipper shrugged. "But we can still visit each other every day."

"You bet we will." Grunkle Stan then hugged Dipper. "Welcome back grephew."

Dipper hugged him back.

"It feels good to be back." He said. "With my real family."


End file.
